Winds of Ak'kara
by bluezinthos
Summary: AU from Doomsday:Recovering from the battle at Canary Wharf, the Doctor and Rose find themselves answering a distress call on a distant desert planet. People have been selected to serve at the temple only to be cut off from the rest of the city, not to be returned. The Doctor finds himself drawn to the temple and Rose finds herself struggling to save not only herself but the Doctor
1. Chapter 1

"Doctor?"

"Rose, what are you doing up?" The Doctor pulled himself from under the consol and looked at his bedraggled companion. It had been two long weeks since the battle at Canary Wharf and Rose was just beginning to sleep most of the night on her own. Between the nightmares that plagued both of them and the Doctor's lingering fear of losing her, neither of them were able to fall asleep without the other. But if he needed to leave during the night, she usually remained asleep and nightmare free for the most part, though he didn't tell her that he had her on a monitor in whatever room in the TARDIS he happened to be in. He glanced up at his ship curiously. She always let him know when Rose was having a nightmare.

His thoughts drifted back to the battle that had very nearly cost him Rose.

" _Once the breach collapses, that's IT_ _._ _You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!"_

" _I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never gonna leave you. So what can I do to help?"_

 _He stared at her, his Rose, his brilliant, infuriating, frustratingly wonderful Rose, for all of 30 seconds before nodding at a set of computers._

" _Those co-ordinates over there, set them all at six. And hurry up."_

 _Once the computers were up and the magna clamps in place, the winds were unbearable. Cybermen and Daleks streamed into the void and the Doctor very nearly cheered. But the universe was never kind; he should have known that after nearly 1000 years. And never to him. He watched in horror as a Dalek slammed into the lever nearest to Rose. It sparked and began to creak downward as the computer announced,_

" _Computer offline."_

 _Rose struggled to reach the lever and pull it upright and when she slipped completely, the Doctor's hearts dropped to his feet._

" _Online and locked."_

 _Hanging on to just the lever now, she struggled against the void._

" _Rose, hang on. DON'T LET GO! HANG ON!"_

 _He watched her fight, watched her lose, watched her fingers slip from the only thing holding her to this world. Her terrified eyes meeting his as she was pulled back through the air to the void. He briefly considered letting go of his own clamp and letting the universe go to hell when the computer's voice chirped again._

" _System closed."_

 _She hit the wall with a sickening thud, the sound echoing in the silence that always seemed to follow a brush with the end of the world. He was frozen for a handful of heart beats before dropping to the ground and running to her. She was limp in his arms._

" _Rose! Rose, Wake up!"_

 _It was useless, he knew even as he said it, his senses registered that she wasn't breathing, that her heart had stopped. The Beast's predication had come true. The Valiant Child had died in battle and it was his fault. It was always his fault._

 _He shook his head. No, Rose was no child and he certainly wasn't about to lose her when she gave up her family for him, however undeserving he was._

 _Reaching for his sonic, he aimed a pulse at her chest. A moment passed, and Rose gasped. His breath left in a whoosh and he rushed them to the TARDIS._

Bringing himself back to the present, he waited for Rose to answer. Rather than perch on the jump seat, as was her habit, she plopped on the grating next to him.

"What'er you working on?"

He held up a tangle of mismatched wires that were once attached to a battered box. "Temporal stabilizer. You know how sometimes our landings aren't exactly right?" Her eyebrow shot up and he ignored it. "Well, this is one of the reasons things go a little off."

"One of the reasons? The other being you can't drive?"

"Oi! I'd like to see you pilot a sentient time ship designed for six pilots by yourself. Anyway, sometimes she likes to change direction." He shrugged. "She's cheeky, like the other woman on board." The Doctor studied Rose's face. She was pale and just slightly glassy eyed – not enough for her to be coming down with an illness, but enough to have him wondering just how long she stayed asleep after he got up to tinker with the TARDIS.

"And you never answered my question. Nightmares?"

Rose still didn't respond, but he didn't push, he knew if he gave her enough time she would tell him. Instead, she studied the box in his hands for a moment before figuring out what needed to be done to the tangle of wires and reached for them, depositing them in her own lap and carefully prying apart where two different colored wires were fused together. Without a word, he adjusted the sonic and handed it over.

Three wires later, she shuddered and looked up, tears glistening but not falling.

"It's the same dream, over and over, but it's not what you'd think. It's not that I left Mum; it's that I stayed there with her. I didn't try and come back and you tried to seal the breach alone but it didn't work. It didn't stay closed. And then we found out why. They took you. The Cybermen took you and converted you. You were one of them and you opened the breach and came through." Rose choked back a sob. "You failed and it was because I left you and didn't try to come back. I always wake up when you reach for me and your hand is one of those saws." The last few words left her in a rush.

The Doctor ignored the box and wires, tugging Rose onto his lap, rocking her and stroking her hair. She'd been so careful not to cry around him when she was awake. Now, he soothed her and let her weep.

"Oh, Rose, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. And neither are you, my stubbornly wonderful human. I still don't understand why you gave up your family for me but I –"

"Doctor, stop. Mum had a chance to make it work with Pete and I don't know if she would have taken it if I was there. He made it pretty clear that I was _her_ daughter, not his and you know how she gets. She didn't deserve to just be at the flat, waiting for me to come home. And I told you I was never gonna leave you, that I was gonna stay forever. Now, I'm not so young as to think it's really gonna be forever, but as long as _you_ _need me_ , I'm stayin'. You do so much, for so many, you need someone to tell you how amazing you are when no one else will."

"Not so amazing if I couldn't figure out a way for you to have your Mum."

She hiccupped a bit as she looked up at him. "Choices, Doctor. Isn't that why you love to follow us humans around? To see the choices we'll make? Well, I chose you."

He couldn't think of anything to say, just held Rose tighter and murmured nonsense in her hair while he waited for her tears to subside. The moment he felt sniffles, he tilted her head up and smiled.

"Better?"

Swiping at her cheeks, Rose grinned. "Yeah, think I needed that."

"You can cry, Rose, I won't think less of you. I don't know how you're holding up at all after these last two weeks with everything that's happened. You've been amazing. Fantastic, really." He didn't mention the number of times he'd broken down while she'd been unconscious in the infirmary, how often the TARDIS had to push him just to eat or drink until she opened her eyes.

"It's 'cause I had you. " She yawned.

"Back to bed for you. I was thinking we venture out again tomorrow, well, later today, really. Whadda you say?"

"Perfect."

Rising to her feet, Rose offered her hands to the Doctor and pulled him up as well. He paused to gather his project before following Rose down the corridor. The door was open and the Doctor couldn't help but take in all the changes to the room over the past year and half of travel. Oh, there was still an over abundance of pink, but it wasn't the garish bright pink from her bedroom at the Estate. The walls were now a pale grey, edged in pink and the duvet remained pink, though a more subtle shade than the old fuchsia. It was also still a mess, but added to the scatter of clothes and shoes were bits of the TARDIS, gadgets, a spare sonic screwdriver and a few things even the Doctor couldn't identify without picking them up and examining them. It was a testament to how much time he now spent in her room. It was getting crowded.

"I think I need a bigger room, Doctor, your stuff is starting to take over," Rose giggled, tossing a book on _Quantum Theory as it pertained to the Fourth Dimension in Relation to Black Holes Gravitational Force_ onto the pile of her own reading next to the bed and unconsciously echoing his thoughts.

"Should just move into my room," the Doctor muttered, tossing his stuff onto 'his' night table and sitting to remove his shoes.

Freezing with her hand on the duvet, Rose stared at the back of his head. "What?" She couldn't have heard that right.

"My room," he repeated, flopping back on the bed. "It's bigger. Bigger bed, bigger ensuite, less work for the TARDIS than making your room bigger. Just have to add another sink to the loo and maybe a second desk so you can study there. Keep your room for your clothes and shoes and" his eyes darted around, taking in the various knickknacks and pictures scattered amongst the clutter, "stuff."

Catching sight of her expression, he rolled toward her, head propped on his hand.

"What? Rose, we live together already. Have for the past, ohhhh twenty one months, fifteen days, three hours and thirty seven minutes. We've been sleeping in the same bed for weeks. Makes sense to use the bigger room." It should have felt frighteningly domestic but it didn't. The offer just popped out. And it felt…okay. Right, even. They'd shared a bed off and on even before Canary Wharf, this regeneration seemed more at ease with Rose knowing about his nightmares and letting her ease him after one. Leather and ears would go as long as possible without sleep, waiting for exhaustion to drop him into a dreamless slumber for a few hours before the nightmare crept in. Then he'd off and run again.

"I dunno, doesn't that seem like me invading your space or somethin'?"

Chuckling, he drew her closer so she could rest her head on his chest. "Since when do you care about invading my space, Rose Tyler? If anything, I've invaded the one place on the TARDIS that should be completely yours. Think about it. We can talk again after our adventure."

Struggling to hide a yawn, Rose snuggled closer. "So what do you have in mind? Overthrowing a corrupt government? Sentient jungle plants? I know! Giant mutant banana groves!"

"Nothing like that," he tapped her nose. "I was thinking a beach."

"Sure, our holidays are always peaceful. Are you gonna sleep?"

"For a bit. I want to finish this part and install it before we leave the vortex. I'll be here if you dream."

The Doctor waited until Rose's breathing deepened before allowing himself to follow her into sleep. As much as he wanted to stay in the vortex were it was safe, he knew Rose was itching to run as much as he was. It was time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

"Sooo, not the beach?" Rose asked leaning against the consol and trying to catch a glimpse of where they'd all but crash landed at.

"Well, there's sand. And a lot of it," the Doctor muttered, blocking her view of the monitor.

She moved to his other side. "I thought you fixed the temporal whatsit…stabilizer?"

He scrubbed at the back of his neck, still avoiding looking at her. "I did and installed it while you were in the bath."

"Ha, so it _is_ your driving."

He pouted. "Is not."

"Okay, Doctor, where are we?"

"Ak'kara."

"Ak'kara?"

"Mmmm. Ak'kara. Thirty fourth century. And the TARDIS is receiving a distress call. A telepathic distress call." The Doctor frowned and Rose was immediately on guard. It wasn't so much the frown but the expression in his eyes that had her nervous. He was completely closed off to her.

"Doctor, you're starting to freak me out. We've gotten distress calls before, what's different about this one?

The Doctor finally looked up. His face had slipped into what she liked to call his 'unreadable mask', stern expression, solemn eyes, every bit the alien he was.

"It's not so much the message as how it's being sent. I've told you Time Lords are touch telepaths?" Rose nodded. "Well, whoever or whatever is sending this message is strong enough that I can hear them, even with the TARDIS blocking them. And that, Rose, is not a good thing."

"Okay, so should we leave? Do you remember anything happening to this planet in the thirty-fourth century that needs to be taken care of?"

"That's just it. There are no telepathic species on Ak'Kara. They are humanoid for the most part, very similar to earth humans. Nothing here should be sending out this kind of signal."

Rose sighed. "So, trouble. What are we gonna do about it then? Are you gonna be alright?"

"I should be, if I take a few more precautions. But I'm a bit worried about you, Rose."

Her eyes widened. "Me? But, I'm not telepathic. I mean, I hear the TARDIS in my head, but she gets in everyone's head, right?"

This wasn't a conversation he was ready to have with Rose right now. He'd done so many tests on her while she was recovering from her injuries. She'd had internal damage as well as broken bones and he'd been worried about her brain. There had been skull fractures from her impact with the wall and swelling and while easily treatable with what he had aboard the TARDIS, the Doctor had still worried about long term effects. So he carefully performed just a surface telepathic scan of Rose's mind and had been shocked by what he'd found, even with her unconscious. Her neurological connections were repairing at a phenomenal rate, far faster than a human's should, and he could easily sense the presence of the TARDIS in her mind. Confident there was no lasting damage; he hadn't looked further, knowing she hated anyone in her mind without permission. And now he was going to have to confess that.

Rose worried her lower lip between her teeth. "Doctor? Is there something else wrong?"

Motioning her to sit with him on the jump seat, the Doctor drew in a deep breath and held it, tugging on his ear. Rose reached over and grabbed his hand, tangling their fingers together.

"Just tell me, yeah? Are you worried I'll be mad or somethin'?"

Chuckling, the Doctor bounced their joined hands on his thigh. "Just a bit mad, yes. Alright," He twisted to face Rose fully, "When you were unconscious I did some tests. You know you had some pretty severe injuries for a human and you recovered remarkably quickly, too quickly, even with the equipment I have here in the med bay. You should still be in bed, not ready to travel, Rose."

Her lower lip disappeared between her teeth again. "What does that mean, though? Is there something wrong with me?" Her mother's words before they headed to Canary Wharf echoed in her mind. The ones about her not being human anymore. Not being Rose Tyler if she had no reason to return to the flat and Jackie.

"I'm not sure what it means, truthfully. All of the tests I ran came back normal. You, Rose Tyler, are 100% perfectly human. What worried me was there might have been damage to your brain, to your mind. You hit that wall so hard, Rose-" His eyes dropped to their joined hands.

Rose was quiet for a moment. The only reason she could think of that the Doctor would be worried she'd be angry would be if he went into her mind while she was knocked out. If he did that, though, wouldn't he have seen everything? Known everything about how she felt? But he was acting normal – well, as normal as the Doctor ever acted, but nothing odd.

"Doctor, did you go into my head?"

He puffed out a breath. "It was only a superficial scan," he rushed out. "I just needed to be certain that there was no permanent damage. I promise I didn't look any further than that!"

Resting a finger on the Doctor's lips to stop him babbling, Rose smiled. "I believe you, Doctor, but what does that have to do with me and this telepathic…thing that's sending out a signal on the planet?"

Poking his tongue out to lick her finger so she squealed, the Doctor tried to explain what he felt. "Your mind – it's different, Rose. Not bad different, just not the same as a regular human mind. Your neurological connections were reforming much faster, healing the damage from the internal swelling. And I could feel the TARDIS in your mind. How strong her connection with you is. Yes, she connects with everyone onboard to an extent so the translation matrix works, but you can understand her can't you?"

"You mean like what her different hums mean? And how I can tell when she's laughing at you when you say somethin' stupid?"

"Oi, I don't say anything stupid!" he sputtered and said ship hummed in amusement. "And yes, that's exactly what I mean. Most humans don't pick up on that, Rose. They don't notice much more that a background hum, white noise. It started back when I regenerated didn't it?"

She nodded.

Moving to the consol, the Doctor swung the monitor to him and began pressing a series of buttons, his back to Rose. He didn't speak for a few minutes, concentrating instead on what he was doing.

He didn't turn back before he spoke.

"Your connection with her is closer to how mine is, how a true telepath would interact with her. Inside here, you're shielded from any telepathic onslaught. If we were to go on the planet, without the proper shields in place, I don't know what would happen to you." He finally came round and knelt in front of her.

Rose stared at the Doctor, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying. She wasn't a telepath, not really, but her mind was different now and had been since the Game Station. That could explain why she felt more at home in the TARDIS than anywhere else, the warm, welcoming affection she felt from the ship was real.

"Rose?"

"Just thinkin', Doctor. How long will it take to build up mental shields?"

"Weeelll, to learn to build them on your own can take years to master. But if I help, it should only take us a few hours before we're ready to go explore."

Rose reached out and tugged gently on the Doctor's hair. "You're making that face."

"What face?"

"The only where you aren't telling me everything because you're embarrassed and I'll have to torture you to make you talk."

"Oh, that face." He moved his kneeling position to sit beside her once again. "Building your own mental shields is better, of course, and we'll work on it, but if I help you, if I build the shields and show you how to reinforce them, I'll be able to get through them. No matter what. And it will create a bit of a telepathic bond because a piece of my mind will need to be connected with yours." He was blushing by the time he finished.

Suddenly it clicked. It wouldn't be the same as her being in his mind, but he talked about being able to feel the other Time Lords in his head and how empty and lonely it was without them there. This was intimate for his people.

"We don't have to do this, Doctor, not if it bothers you. Is there somethin' else we can try? I know the TARDIS wouldn't a brought us here if we weren't needed, so there must be, right?"

He gave her a small smile. "Nothing that wouldn't take longer than we have." Flinging an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close. "Rose, there is no other mind that I would rather be a part of than yours. And it would be as a shield, I won't be wandering around in there or you would know. Plus, it might even help a bit. You being so jeopardy-friendly and all, I can show you how to contact me if there's trouble."

That got a chuckle out of her, like he planned. "Only if that part goes both ways, Mister! You might wander off and get kidnapped and forced to marry a princess by the time I find you!"

Now he fidgeted. "Umm, Rose? That's sort of the other part of the problem."

She tilted her head as he moved back towards to consol and opened a panel. "What's the other part of the problem? You have to marry someone on the planet?"

"No. Ak'kara is a patriarchal society. Very patriarchal. If you were to try and wander on your own you would be imprisoned. And as a single woman, you wouldn't be permitted to be in my company without a chaperone of some kind or other. Ever."

He opened his palm and showed her two plain silver bands.

"We would have to be married."


	3. Chapter 3

" _Married?"_ Rose squeaked. She stood for a second or two but found she needed to sit back down. The Doctor wasn't looking at her but the floor and his cheeks were flushed.

"Well, I supposed we could try and pass as immediate family…brother and sister or the like."

Rose snorted. "Not bloody likely. We'd get arrested for a totally different reason."

Now, the Doctor smiled. "It's not as though we haven't been married before. We're just heading it off this time. And rings aren't the recognized symbol of marriage on Ak'kara, we would still have to petition the head of the village or city to accept our marriage."

"Okay, how does this all work? You say they are patriarchal? So men are in charge, yeah? Do women have rights?"

Gesturing towards the monitors, the Doctor placed the rings back on the console and began rapidly typing at the keyboard. "Oh, yes, women are held in high regard. Any crime against a woman, single or married, is harshly punished. It's more of women are considered an extension of men, one without the other is not considered a complete unit and in that unit the one that speaks for the two is the man."

Rose moved next to the Doctor so she could read the monitor, which was in English for a change. Sometimes it was in writing that looked like little ants dancing across the screen – Modern Gallifreyn – he called it, and other times it was in little complicated circles. She skimmed through the parts about trade and textiles and lit on where women weren't required to marry. She pointed to it.

"Doctor?"

"Ah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "If you look a bit further down you'll see that women who choose not to marry or who are widowed live in sort of a commune, a group. There is an elected head of house that speaks for them but they don't generally mingle unless in a group. You still wouldn't be able to go off with just me."

Huffing, she kept reading. It really wasn't the whole married part that bothered her, like the Doctor said, they'd ended up married more than once, usually joining in some festival that ended up being a group wedding, but it would be the first time they would purposely be acting like a married couple.

"And you're okay with this? Showing up with wedding rings and telling everyone that I'm your wife? I realize you aren't human, Doctor, but you do know that marriage is a big deal to us puny humans, at least the whole planned marriage thing, right?"

"Rose - I'm not - that is - I'm just -" the Doctor pulled at this ear and began pacing. "I'm not trying to make this difficult for you. You've been through enough lately and you're always telling me that I'm making decisions that affect you and not talking to you about them and I didn't want to spring this on you out of the blue and -"

Holding her hands up in defeat, Rose shook her head. "Doctor you're babbling. Back up a bit. This is you asking me if this is okay?"

He nodded.

"Really?"

Another head bob. This was a change of pace. If there was one sticking point in their relationship (aside from the fact she couldn't really define what sort of relationship they actually had) it was that the Doctor was always making decisions for her. He didn't trust her to know her own mind, choosing instead to base his decisions on what he thought was best because _all his other companions did it that way at one time or another._ Not only did it infuriate her, but a few times it had proven dangerous. She'd even taken to studying for her A-levels, with the TARDIS's help, thinking that if she could understand his techno-babble better, he might take her more seriously. That had caused an enormous row, not because she was trying to better herself but because she dared to think she wasn't good enough in the first place.

"Rose?" She glanced up, startled to find he'd moved around the console and was now toe to toe with her. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just surprised you're asking rather than just jumping in an' all."

He had the audacity to look offended. "I value your opinion, Rose, you know that. But I told you that I was going to try and stop making decisions for you didn't I?" She nodded. "So?"

"So, do you actually have a plan? Or is us being married as far as you got?" Rose poked him in the chest.

"Of course I have a plan! Well, most of a plan. More the basic outline for a plan, really. Who needs more than that? Flexibility, there. Never can have enough flexibility."

Shaking her head, Rose followed the Doctor to the jump seat. She made it two steps before he spun back around and grabbed her hand, dragging her back to the console.

"First things first. Put your finger here."

Here was one of two finger shaped grooves under a series a glowing buttons. She did as she was told and watched the Doctor do the same.

"OUCH! Did the TARDIS just _bite_ me?" she sucked at the drop of blood welling up.

"Don't be ridiculous, Rose, the TARDIS doesn't bite. And that is highly unsanitary. Do you know how many germs are in the human mouth?"

"Do I want to know how many germs are on that console? Have you licked it? You lick everything else."

His eyebrow arched and he muttered something about _Time Lords not having g_ e _rms_ , and pulled her back to the jump seat.

"Needed a bit of blood from the both of us for the next part is all. Now, Ak'kara. Lovely planet in the thirty fourth century. Bit of a trading post. Huge desert bazaars selling their equivalents of silks, linens, spices, perfumes. Two headed camels, Rose! Imagine that - "

"You can't have one, Doctor."

"Rose - "

"No."

He pouted, but quickly moved on. "The people are humanoid, very dark complexions, dark hair and eyes. They decorate their skin with intricate golden designs. We'll both stand out but you in particular with your blond hair. They are used to off worlders coming to shop and to visit their temples."

"Temples? Like for worship."

"Hhmmm. They worship a sun god similar to Earth's early Egyptian culture. The Prime, it's called. They have three suns and the Prime is the strongest and brightest. One rises even at night alongside the moon and casts a blue glow on the sands. Spectacular, really."

Rose knew he could go on for hours about various aspects of the planet and culture and it sounded fascinating, but she needed to know what they would be doing.

Snapping her fingers, she tried to reign him in. "Focus, Doctor. What will we be doing? Where do you think the distress call could be coming from? The temple or the bazaar?"

Distracted for a moment at having his lecture interrupted, the Doctor got up to pace. "Always asking the right questions, Rose Tyler. If I was a betting man, which I think I am, I would say the distress signal's most likely origin would be the temple, given that the public is kept out of certain areas. The Blessed, who maintain the temple, are chosen at birth, they literally are born with a third eye, and there aren't many of them. We could say that we want to visit the temple to have our marriage blessed by The Prime, provided, of course, the elder of the city we landed at the edge of will recognize it and marry us according to Ak'karrian tradition."

"And what would the reasons be that a marriage wouldn't be recognized, Doctor?"

He waved his hand back and forth. "Oh, nothing we really have to worry about."

"And now we have to worry. What reasons?"

"Weeellll, I could be challenged by one of the men as being unfit to marry you. Not able to provide for you or some other such nonsense, but we can deal with that if it happens."

"And if we do 'deal with it if it happens' do I get a say in things? Because what happens if this bloke is fit and pretty and I just happen to want to spend a bit of time with him?" Rose teased.

The Doctor spun around, jaw gaping. He opened and closed it a few times but the only sound he could make was a squeak.

Rose tried to look innocent. "What? 'S not like I've had a date in close to two years or anythin'. Just got a flatmate who likes to hog all the covers and keeps the place too cold."

"But, but Rose," he stuttered.

"'M only kiddin', Doctor. But you should see the look on your face!" Rose laughed out.

"Humph. I knew that. I was only playing along. I think you get some say. Maybe. Possibly. We are travelers, after all. Not staying. Unless they would want you to take your new husband with you. Always a chance of that."

"No, ta. Think I'll keep just you around. So what else do we need to do to get ready? You said this thing is sending out some sort of telepathic signal, yeah? How do I keep it out of my head? Will I even know if it tries to get in there in the first place?"

The Doctor's expression darkened. "Oh, you'll know. Laws governing telepathic species are strict. This signal, even if it is a distress signal, is excessive and breaks several laws. Entering the mind of a non-telepathic species without permission is a death sentence, regardless of circumstances, and I have no doubt you would be feeling this if we were outside the TARDIS." He paused and seemed to gather himself before grabbing her hand and tugging her down the hall. "We need to build a wall in your mind that will block most psychic attacks. Normally, you'd be able to keep me out as well, but since I'll be reinforcing the wall, my mind will be a part of yours and vice versa, so we'll be a bit stuck together for the time being. You'll be able to shield your thoughts from me, but share them if we need to." He cocked his head at her. "Could be useful for a jeopardy friendly human."

"So you said. Still think it should be jeopardy friendly Time Lord."

Just as she turned to smack his arm, the Doctor swung open a door and pushed her inside. To Rose's surprise, she didn't stumble, instead she floated. There was nothing around her but blackness. Weightless blackness. As she watched, stars began to take shape around her. Nebulas formed, white dwarfs, distant galaxies.

"'S beautiful," she breathed.

The Doctor popped in beside her, graceful in the lack of gravity.

"This is the zero room. Great for motion sickness, mediation, star gazing, etcetera. No distractions here."

"Except for the whole floating thing," Rose muttered as she drifted upside down. The Doctor reached out and grabbed her ankle, carefully turning her rightside up so that she faced him. She mimicked his cross legged stance and grabbed his wrists to stay upright. The motion brought their knees bumping together.

"So what do I need to do?"

Smiling, the Doctor reached up and tucked Rose's hair behind her ear, first one side, then the other, bring her hand with his. "First, you need to relax. This won't hurt. It won't feel anything like what happened on New Earth with Cassandra. That was a psychograph, designed to push your consciousness out of the way. It was meant to hurt. This will just be me…visiting… your mind. You will still have full control and even be able to push me out if you want. Okay?"

She nodded.

"Alright. Relax, Rose. Close your eyes. Rest your hands on my knees to keep you steady, it'll be more comfortable for you than having them raised up on my wrists."

Rose felt the Doctor's cool fingers brush against her temples. The only sound in the room was their breathing and the gentle hum of the time ship. The air around her was cool and still and filled with the familiar scent of the Doctor, a scent that reminded her of old books, sugary tea, and something that she could only describe as time. As she steadied her breathing in time with his, she began to feel a tingling, almost fizzy sensation at the edge of her mind. She concentrated on it and it grew stronger, feeling like the bubbles in a carbonated drink.

" _Rose?"_

Startled, she almost opened her eyes before she realized the voice was inside her head.

" _Rose, you can think your answer, I'll hear you."_

" _Doctor?"_

 _He chuckled. "You don't have to whisper, it's not a library in here. At least I don't think it is. I have no idea how you have things organized. Most human minds are a mess, actually."_

" _So you're not in my mind yet?"_

" _Nope. Right at the edge. Waiting for your permission, Dame Rose."_

" _Oh, you're the fizzy bubbly feeling! I should have guessed that's what your mind would be like! Well, Sir Doctor, what are you waiting for!"_

There was a tugging sensation, not painful, just odd and then rather than knowing she was in the TARDIS with her eyes closed, she was standing in the women's department at Henrik's with the Doctor.

" _Really, Rose? Your mind is a department store?"_

 _She shrugged. "How'm I supposed to know that? I don't usually get to look around my own mind."_

 _She wandered over to one of the store guides. Rather than house wares, clothing, or shoes, each floor was organized by significant life event. Cool._

" _So what do I do?"_

" _Your mind is surprising well organized for a human. Most human memories are just jumbled around, it's why you lot have such a difficult time retaining information."_

" _Oi!"_

" _This is what we want to protect. This is what makes you, you. I think what we can do…" he broke off and raced towards one of the windows. Glancing out, he turned back to Rose with a grin._

" _Yep! You are truly brilliant, Rose, if I don't tell you that often enough! Outside we go!"_

" _Outside? Outside where?"_

" _Why outside Henrik's. This lovely little place you've build for yourself, you clever girl."_

 _Riding the escalators down to the main entrance, Rose caught glimpses of rooms for the past, chatter from birthday parties, school trips, Mickey, but the Doctor led her passed that and out the front doors and into relative darkness. Henrik's stood tall before them._

" _That, Rose is a little haven you built for yourself to keep all of you, well, you. And I'm going to show you how to protect it. I want you to think of a wall, the strongest wall you can possibly think of, that nothing can get through, and surround your mind. Your little haven. If we had time, I would try and break down the wall, show you piece by piece how to shore it up and defend it. But we don't have that kind of time, so instead I'm going to reinforce it with my mind. That's why we are going to be telepathically linked. You'll feel me in you head. Is that okay?"_

" _Yeah, I think so. I mean, yes. So that bubbly feeling, that will be in my head all the time?"_

" _Not as strong as now, but if you concentrate, then yes, you'll feel it, even be able to follow it and talk to me."_

 _She nodded. One thing at a time. Wall. Brick? No, those crumble. Stone? Same thing. Strongest wall she could think of. Then she grinned. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on surrounding her mind with the safest four walls in the universe._

 _The Doctor gasped._

" _Assembled hordes of Genghis Khan, Doctor," she grinned, opening her eyes._

" _Cheeky, Rose Tyler, cheeky."_

 _Not to be outdone, the Doctor stepped forward and laid his hands on the faded blue paint of the police box. Rose felt a sudden warmth flood though her and the Doctor glanced back, "You okay?" She nodded. Turning back to the enormous TARDIS in her mind, he pressed his forehead to the wood and let out a deep breath. Rose watched in amazement as the paint began to brighten, the light at the top shown brighter. It was like She was brand new when he stepped away, brushing his hands on his coat._

" _Impressed?"_

" _Noh, Not really."_

 _He hip bumped her. "Are too. Now, back out to the real world to feed the human," he placed his hand on his stomach, "and the Time Lord and get ready to see exactly where on the plant we landed."_

 _Rose grabbed his sleeve. "Wait, Doctor! That's it? Nothing else?"_

 _He smiled. "Time passes differently in your mind, Rose. A couple of hours have already passed. Any more and you'd be too exhausted to leave the TARDIS today. Just concentrate on being back in the zero room, okay?"_

Rose blinked and looked up at the Doctor's smiling face. She took a quick inventory of everything and other than her head feeling a bit heavy, being ravenous, and needing the loo, she felt fine. Concentrating a bit, she found the little fizzy spot in her mind and prodded at it.

"Yes, Rose, that is me."

She grinned. "Bit weird, iddnit?"

"It's been a long, long time since I've been tied to someone else's mind."

Her smile faded. "'M sorry, Doctor. If it bothers you, I can…"

He tugged her over to the door and maneuvered both of them into the hall, him landing on his feet like a cat while she tumbled almost heels over head and crashed into him.

"Rose, it's fine. It'll take some getting used to for the both of us. I won't be able to show you how to work on your shielding while we're on the planet, since it would leave both of use vulnerable to psychic attack, but once we're back home we can start. It's something you should learn anyway. Now, I'll make lunch, since I'm not up for your cooking," he dodged the swipe aimed at him, "and you change into something a bit cooler. It's about 35 degrees outside. No shorts though. Don't want to offend the locals."

"Anything else that might offend the locals, Doctor?"

"Won't know until we do it, will we Rose?"


	4. Chapter 4

After dressing in a pair of cropped linen trousers and a baby blue tee and filling up on a surprisingly tasty stir fry, Rose was practically bouncing on her trainers in the console room. Her legs itched to hit the ground running. Freezing, she realized it wasn't just her anticipation to get out and explore a new planet she was feeling, it was the Doctor's. As if on cue, the object of her musings strolled in to the room.

"Feeling a bit excited, are we Doctor?" she teased.

"What?"

"I'm actually jittery. And I'm not usually the one that can't hold still."

He frowned, hand absently running through his disheveled hair. "Sorry about that. I'll try to shield a bit better. I've gotten out of practice."

"'S okay, Doctor. I'm excited, too. It's been a while since we've been exploring. So, ready to go?"

He danced over to the console. Flipping a few switches, the box containing the rings popped open and Rose could see something else glittering beside them. He picked up the rings first and motioned her over. Picking up the smaller of the two, the Doctor grabbed her left hand. There was a circular design carved deep in to the silver metal now but other than that, it looked like an ordinary band.

"This ring has a bio-tracker in it, that's what the blood was for. With the mental link, if either one of us is separated, we should be able to find the other." He slipped the ring on her finger; the metal cool and awkward on her hand. He moved to take his own but she reached out to stop him.

"Let me. Might as well go for it, yeah?" She placed the silver ring on his hand and giggled. "And you hate domestics."

"Yeah. But we don't have a house. Or curtains. No curtains on the TARDIS!"

The ship hummed in reply and the Doctor had the sinking suspicion he was going to find curtains somewhere on his ship. Probably hanging in his loo. He scooped up the other item on the console and dropped it into his suit pocket.

"What was that?" Rose asked, reaching around and trying to peek into his coat.

"Nothing to concern yourself with, Ms. Tyler. Or, should I say, Mrs. Tyler? Now, shall we see what this planet has to offer?"

"Allon-sy?

"Allon-sy!"

The door opened into paradise. Lush foliage, bird song, and the sound of water cut through the wall of heat that hit them as soon as they exited the time ship. To the right, Rose could see the desert sands glittering gold in the sun. Bright tents and stone houses peeped out from between the greens in the distance.

The Doctor stood with his face tipped back, the slight breeze ruffling his hair. His nostrils flared taking in the scents and chemical composition in the air around them. She could just make out the purple sky through the trees.

"'S gorgeous," she breathed. Stepping away from the TARDIS, Rose moved to run her fingers over a low shrub. The leaves were wide and glossy and the white flowers bloomed as wide as her hand. There were fruit trees above them as well, their sweet scent mixing with the heady perfume of the flowers.

"The Ak'karrians use the oasis to grow fruits and nuts, grains, and some root vegetables. There aren't many native predators here to worry about. Unless you count the giant moths. Huge things, furry, the size of puppies! They purr! Strongest silks in this galaxy come from those moths."

Rose turned to him, smiling. "Let me guess, you want one of them, too?"

His hand went for the back of his neck. "Well, I wouldn't say no. Got the perfect place for it in the TARDIS garden. Of course, we would need two so they wouldn't be lonely."

"Of course." Linking her arm with his, Rose tugged him towards a path. "Let's go look around first before you start collecting things, Doctor."

The path was narrow and wound through the fruit trees. The Doctor paused and picked up something purple off the ground and brushed it on his jacket before digging a small knife out of his pocket and halving it.

"It's sort of like a fig. It's good, try it."

Rose took the offered fruit and bit in, the sweet juice dribbling down her chin. The texture was a bit dense and seedy but the fruit was perfectly ripe. The Doctor's thumb swiped over her chin, capturing the sticky trail before he brought it to his mouth. His lips quirked up.

"Can't take you anywhere, can I?"

"Oi! I'm not the one that goes around with my fingers in the jam jar! Do you have any idea how many sticky fingerprints you leave around when you do that?" She laughed. The mood could have been awkward or tense, but it wasn't. The weather was beautiful; they were strolling hand in hand, finally out of the vortex and on a new adventure.

The path deposited them in the middle of chaos. Vendors shouted, hawking food, brightly colored clothing and livestock. Customers, a mix of locals with cocoa colored skin sparkling with swirling patterns of gold disappearing under filmy clothing, and off-worlders haggling for bargains, clogged the dusty streets. Children darted in and out of the crowd, getting underfoot and laughing. The Doctor held tightly to Rose's hand and led her straight through, pausing to point out a few of the more unusual sights, but keeping a straight path.

After about an hour of walking and getting waylaid by trinkets, the shops thinned out and stone huts with fabric awnings took their place. At the center of the little village was a long, narrow stone building made of red stone surrounded by a wooden fence. Women dressed in long caftan style tops and breezy slacks carried baskets of laundry to a line.

"That's the women's commune, there. Completely independent. They have their own gardens, weave their own cloth, take in the children that are orphaned and run the schools. They always leave the fenced in ground in pairs at the minimum to abide by local laws," the Doctor explained.

"You know much about our culture, Visitor, and yet you accompany a young woman in public. And appear to be very familiar with her," a gravelly voice spoke up from behind them.

The Doctor pulled Rose around but didn't drop her hand. An older man, shorter even than Rose, stood before them leaning on a wooden staff. His dark skin was deeply wrinkled but still decorated in the whimsical golden tattoos of the people in the bazaar, though his extended up his neck and over his cheeks. His left eye was rheumy and blue but his right was a clear and glittering black. This close, Rose could see that the Ak'karrians didn't really have noses, they had slits where nostrils would be that appeared to open and close with each inhale and exhale.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted with a smile. "I'm the Doctor and this is my wife, Rose Tyler." Rose started a bit at the ease the lie rolled off his tongue, but he squeezed her hand and grinned down at her. "We're visiting as you can see and sort of wandered up here to the village. Beautiful place you've got here. Oh, look Rose, the camels! I was telling you about those!" Distracted, he pointed at a fuzzy pair of heads peeking out from behind the nearest hut.

Laughing, Rose addressed the man, "Don't mind him, goes off in a million different directions if you let him. The bazaar is truly amazing. Is everything sold there made here?"

"Indeed it is. The women make all the cloth and clothing. The jewelry and beads by both women and children. Our men make the woodcrafts and leather goods. Every ingredient is grown or harvested from the oasis or village gardens." He studied them for a moment, his good eye flicking from the Doctor to Rose and back again. "But I don't believe the two of you are here to explore our fine bazaar?"

"Oh, you are clever! Isn't he clever, Rose? We're travelers. We've been all over the universe, we have. We're interested in the Temple of The Prime. Can you tell us about it? Though I don't believe we caught your name?"

The old man smiled. "Bazine. My name is Bazine. Please, come with me and I will tell you of the happenings at the Temple, since that is what you are here to understand. And you will tell me why I should allow you to journey there together, since it is me that you must have permission from."

"You?"

Rose elbowed the Doctor is the ribs and hissed, "Rude!"

Bazine chuckled. "Of course. I am the village Elder. If your reasons prove valid to me, your vows will be renewed by our custom. Now, come with me. We will have something to drink and talk."

The pair followed Bazine to a modest hut with an open front room. A teenage boy, perhaps a few years younger than Rose, was lounging on some pillows on the floor. The looked surprised when they entered.

"Grandfather! What are you doing home?"

"I should ask the same of you, Tamar. I have brought guests. If you are not planning on finishing your lessons, then make yourself useful and fetch some refreshments, please."

The boy snorted. "Fetching drinks and waiting on guests is woman's work"

Rose frowned and was about to speak up when the Doctor draped his arm around her shoulder. No doubt to put his hand closer to her mouth.

The old man frowned. "We have no women at home, Tamar, so making guests comfortable falls to us. Unless you wish to leave, then you may and I will fetch the drinks."

The boy got to his feet and headed for the front door but not before pausing and eying Rose from head to toe, lingering on the bits in between, and shooting the Doctor an evil look.

"Please forgive my grandson. Both his parents went to the Temple and it's been hard on him. He's been rebelling."

""S not you that needs to apologize. I'll get us something to drink if you point the way to the kitchen," Rose replied.

Before Rose could move, the Doctor caught her hand. "I'll get the drinks. The heat doesn't bother me as much. Sit with Bazine where it's cool. I'll be right back."

Bazine pointed out where the kitchen was and the Time Lord disappeared behind an intricately dyed tapestry.

"Your husband is a most unusual man, Miss Rose. Very…curious."

She let out a true laugh at that. "Curious. That…that is definitely one way to describe the Doctor. Completely mad is another. And it's just Rose, please. And thank you for taking the time to talk to us."

The Doctor appeared then with a tray of drinks and fruit, placing it on a low table before dropping onto a pillow next to Rose. He handed her a cup before passing one to their host, finally taking one for himself. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"See, I have manners."

"And by pointing them out, you ruined it."

He turned back to Bazine. "You say the boy's parents went to the Temple?"

Bazine took a sip of his drink before speaking. "It used to be that only those who were Blessed were chosen to run the Temple. Their ability to see into the future was prized and nurtured. But recently others have been called to the Temple. We have been unable to stop them from going and they refuse to return to us. Tamar's parents were two such people. Now the Temple is closed to everyone else."

"Your Blessed, their minds are more developed than other Ak'karrians, more open to telepathic suggestion. My ship picked up a telepathic distress signal, that's what brought us here. We thought the source of it might be the Temple. From what you are describing, it sounds like the most likely place. Have you noticed anything unusual happening? Weather? Asteroids?"

"We had an unusually strong storm close to a month ago. It's not the right time of the season for thunder and lightening."

"Right, then Rose and I should be heading to the Temple. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can find out what's happening."

"Not so fast, Doctor. There is still the matter of you and Rose travelling together. According to our laws, a man and a woman may not travel together unchaperoned unless they are married. Now, you may be married according to your laws but not ours. From what I have seen of the two of you together, I have no objections to marrying you according to our traditions. That can take place tomorrow evening. Doctor, since you seem to have an excellent grasp of our culture, I take it you understand what our traditions require?"

He nodded.

"Excellent. I will have accommodations set up for you both…"

"That is where I have to draw the line, Bazine. Rose and I stay together."

"I understand. Feel free to explore the village and I will have a few of the women come and get you when accommodations are ready."

Rose and the Doctor left the hut and drifted off, not really having a direction. "Doctor, what are we going to do? Are we really going to let Bazine marry us tomorrow? How are we going to get to the Temple? Where is the Temple? What -"

Spinning her around, the Doctor grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. "Breathe, Rose!" he laughed. "One thing at a time. Look over there on the horizon. Towards the base of the mountain. The Temple is built right into the mountainside the catch the light of the sun as it rises."

She followed his finger and could just make out some towers built into the mountainside.

"As for the marriage part, we knew this was going to happen and later tonight, I'll explain what I know to you. Now, Let's go and talk to some locals and see what else we can find out."


	5. Chapter 5

It turned out that 'talking to the locals' involved dropping Rose off at the women's commune and then following a man with one of the two headed camels. She didn't mind much, separating would give them a chance to cover more ground, but he was not going back to the TARDIS with a two-headed camel.

The women at the commune were guarded but friendly. Most were busy with day to day chores and while not rude, made it clear they didn't have time to spare for an outsider asking questions. She wandered from the laundry to the schoolyard to the weaving rooms and met with the same friendly but detached disinterest each time.

Eventually, Rose found herself assisting the group who made goods to sell at the bazaar. She sat a table under a cloth canopy with some of the younger women, ones closer to her age, stringing multicolored glass beads. When they found out she was getting 'remarried' to the Doctor, they insisted on helping her make jewelry for the ceremony rather than continue on with their own work.

"How long have you known your husband, Rose?" asked a young woman with glittering black eyes called Araya. She seemed to be ringleader of group of giggling young women, bright, friendly and just a bit mischievous. Rose liked her immediately.

"Um, we've traveled together for almost two years now but only got married recently," Rose replied, sorting through green and blue beads. She had a small stack that matched the TARDIS as well as a few in a pretty shade of pink that she couldn't resist.

"You traveled with him? Before you married? But what did your parents say?" The other girls twittered to themselves like birds.

"It was just me and my Mum and she wasn't too fond of the Doctor at first." Rose smiled remembering her leather wearing Doctor and his aversion to visiting the Estate. "He grew on her though. What about you? Were you married?"

Araya laughed. "No, not yet. I'm spending time here with the other women before I decide my path. I don't know if I wish to marry as my sisters did but I'd like to experience a bit before I settle down."

"Does that happen a lot here? Taking time before you marry to see how the commune lives?"

The girl shrugged. "It wasn't always but with more people being called to the Temple, things are relaxing a bit."

Jackpot, Rose thought. "Did you lose anyone to the Temple?"

Araya looked at the table, picking at the silky string they were using to make the necklaces and bracelets. "My brother," she whispered.

Rose covered the girl's hands with her own. "I'm so sorry. Can you tell me what happened?"

"We don't know. He was fine, studying to be a master woodcarver. He was courting a pretty girl, the daughter of the baker. One day he complained of headaches. The healer could find nothing wrong. They got worse and worse until about sundown a month later. And then he became quiet, angry, withdrawn. When we woke in the morning, he was gone."

"Did you try and go after him?"

"My parents did. But the Blessed turned them away. Said he was called to take care of them now and he was no longer their concern. We haven't heard from him in over a year now."

"What's your brother's name?"

"Javin."

"Araya, the Doctor and I will find out what's happening here, I promise. It's what we do. And we'll bring your brother back."

Araya smiled brightly. "I believe you, Rose. But first, let us concentrate on the now as my Mother says. You have a wedding to get ready for and we haven't had one in the village in a long time. We have to make it memorable!"

The Doctor frowned as he watched Bazine and two older women move supplies into a stone hut near the center of the village. It would be where he and Rose stayed while they were there. He'd been mildly distracted by the man with the camels but he'd hoped to use his interest in the animals to learn more about the disappearances in the village. All he'd gotten for his trouble was sent back to Bazine.

He hoped Rose was having more luck than he was. The only reason he'd felt comfortable with them separating was because of the mental bond they were sharing. With a little concentration, he was able to sense that she was fine and enjoying herself. He didn't feel the need to probe any further or ask any questions; instead he turned his attention to the village Elder.

"Bazine, how did you know we were interested in the Temple? You didn't seem surprised when Rose and I asked about it?"

The elderly man shrugged, "Why else would you and your wife have come into the village from the bazaar? Few visitors ever wander from it and those that do usually have questions about the Temple."

The Doctor's eyebrow quirked. "No one gets lost?"

"The village is a long way to get lost, Doctor. Now, the women appear to have everything in order here, let us go and find your wife. You will have a few hours to settle in and refresh yourselves before dinner. The sun sets early here and it is a sight you both will not want to miss. Come along. Hurry, hurry."

Not satisfied but unable to think of how to probe any further, the Doctor followed Bazine and the women to the commune. He saw Rose laughing with a group of women her own age and couldn't help but smile. She always looked so at ease wherever they went, fitting in with the locals, keeping him and his gob out of trouble. Just then she caught sight of him.

"Doctor!"

She raced over to him and he caught her up in his arms, the two of them laughing like loons.

"I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

"A few hours. 'M not used to sittin' still so long."

 _Did you find out anything useful?_ he asked. He watched Rose start in surprise and then he heard her voice whisper through his mind.

 _A bit. Talk about it later, yeah?_

He nodded and turned to Bazine. "We have a place to stay while we're here. Bazine tells me there is going to be a dinner in our honor tonight."

The old man nodded, his good eye twinkling at Rose. "A bit of celebration is called for. Tomorrow will be a busy day for you both, so tonight we will celebrate. Please, both of you come with me. Rose, I take it you enjoyed your time with the women?"

"Oh, yes, they were very nice," she raised a brow at the Doctor behind Bazine's back. He was curious now. "I wanted to help out but no one would let me work. One of the young women, Araya, decided that I needed jewelry for my wedding so that was what I spent my time working on. It's all very well organized."

Bazine chuckled. "They tell me that's what happens when men are not around. Everything flows much better."

"I can believe that!" Rose laughed, swinging the Doctor's hand. "You should see the messes the Doctor leaves lying around."

"Hey, now, I know where everything is, thank you very much. I might not know exactly what it does, but I know where it is."  
They paused in front of a hut with a faded purple canopy.

"I can see why the two of you are together. You both complement each other well. You, Rose, bring a youth and vibrancy to your husband. You ground him. And you Doctor are well matched with her. Lighter." Bazine commented, turning to the pair.

"You see quite a bit, old man." The Doctor replied.

"It is how I became elder of the village. Now, rest. Someone will come for you when dinner is served. I have neglected my own duties long enough."

With that, Bazine left and the Doctor and Rose ducked inside the hut to take a look around.

"Are you under the impression we were just dismissed?" The Doctor asked, running his fingers over a low table. The hut was cool compared to the heat outside, set up similar to the way Bazine's had been. The floor was smooth stone covered in braided rag rugs. A little kitchen area could be seen off to one side and in another corner was a curtained off section that contained a mattress set on a wooden pallet. Bright pillows surrounded it and spilled out into the living area.

"Everyone was like that, more or less," Rose's voice came from another doorway to the side of the kitchen. The Doctor wandered over and saw it was a small loo. Rose was eyeing several bottles of oils lining the wooden shelves. There wasn't much there, just a toilet and sink. "No one really wanted to talk to me. That girl I mentioned, Araya? She told me a bit about her brother disappearing. Did you find out anything? Where's the bath?"

He chuckled. "You're holding it. Water is a precious commodity here. They bathe using oils. It protects their skin from the sun and provides moisture."

Rose wrinkled her nose.

"And to answer your other question, no, nothing. I tried to talk to the man with the camels but he sent me right back to Bazine, who is of no help at all. He seems to be very good at redirecting the conversation. What did the girl say?"

Rose put down the oils and headed back to the living area, plopping down on a large pillow. "Not much. He complained about headaches before he disappeared. And he left after sundown. No one else would talk to me so I don't know if that's helpful or not."

"Everything is helpful, Rose. I just can't shake the feeling that this has been going on for along time and everyone has just started to accept it now. It's not right."

"So what do we do until dinner, then?" She broke off with a huge yawn.

"You should take a nap, Rose. It's been a while since we've been out of the TARDIS and I know you haven't done much, but between our mental connection and the heat here, you're bound to get tired faster."

She nodded. "What will you do?"

"Oh, I have a few things in my pocket to keep me busy. Besides, we do some of our best work when everyone else is asleep!"

A bit of a celebration turned out to involve the entire village. Tables were brought out to a centralized location and draped in brightly dyed fabric. Tall torches surrounded the area and provided light without adding to the heat of the evening. The Doctor had been right, the blue sun that rose in the evening was just cresting the east as the dual suns dipped into the west and the whole planet took on a lovely blue glow.

Rose and the Doctor sat near Bazine at the head of one of the tables. Dinner turned out to be mostly vegetarian in nature, with fruits and vegetables both fresh and roasted. Crusty breads dotted the space in between the platters. A group of young men started to play music on drums and guitars and some of the more adventurous Ak'karrians took the opportunity to dance.

Rose sipped at her fruity wine and smiled. The Doctor looked completely in his element, chatting with the couple across from them and gesturing wildly. He didn't seem the least bit nervous that they would have to marry in front of these people in 24 hours.

"His name was Arthur. He was gorgeous and brave and smart…"

"And he was a horse, Doctor. There was no way that you could take a horse on the TARDIS with you," Rose laughed.

"My ship is amazing. She would have set something up! You just didn't want me to have him, Rose," the Doctor whined.

"You're right. Because who would have ended up taking care of him? Me. And I don't think that the TARDIS would have wanted to clean up after a horse."

Bazine gave them a smile. "You both talk of you ship as though it is alive. Even calling it 'she'. Is that common where you are from?"

The Doctor laughed. "Oh, my ship is a bit special. Not another one out there like her." He held out a hand to Rose. "Would you care to dance, M'lady?"

"Are you sure you've got the moves?" She replied, tongue caught in her teeth.

Waggling his brows, the Doctor gave her a smirk. "I've got moves you've never seen, Rose."

Just as she reached out to take the Doctor's hand, Rose grabbed her head. Where before she could feel the fizzy tingle that was the Doctor in her mind and the occasional drift of emotions from him, this felt like a freight train ripping through her head. It was overpowering and her eyes began to water. She struggled to block the pain out, but whatever was doing this was too much.

"Rose! Rose, breathe. Slow breaths. Open your eyes and focus on me, Rose." She could feel the Doctor kneeling in front of her but couldn't focus.

"Hurts," she whimpered.

"I know, but I need you to look at me, Rose."

She opened her eyes and blinked against the glow of the torches. The Doctor's face came into focus, his eyes dark with concern.

"Extinguish those torches behind me. Now!" He called over his shoulder. Without waiting to see if his orders were being carried out, he raised his hands to Rose's temples.

"Focus on me, Rose. I'll make it better, I promise."

Struggling though the pain, Rose focused on the Doctor's eyes. When his fingers came in contact with her temples, the wave of pressure disappeared almost as soon as it hit. But the damage had been done; she was left with a raging migraine. Nausea rolled in waves from her head to her stomach and back.

"Sick. Doctor, I feel…"

"Shhh, I know, I feel it, Rose." He scooped her into his arms and turned in the direction of the hut they were given for their stay. "I need to take Rose to lie down. Bazine, I want to talk to you later, come see me." Without waiting for a reply he headed to relative calm of their temporary lodgings.

He set Rose on her feet next to the bedding and headed into the loo. When he came back with a damp cloth, he found Rose sitting and struggling to pull her shirt off.

"Rose, what are you doing?"

"Hot. Too Hot." She whimpered, pulling at the fabric. The Doctor could feel her discomfort through their bond and knew she would feel better once her clothes were off and she was tucked into bed. But that didn't mean he had to like it. Yes, they'd been sharing a bed for months but they'd always been wearing jimjams. Rose's may have consisted of little more than vest tops and shorts, but she was still dressed.

"Rose, you need to lie down. I can help a bit with your migraine but I need you to be comfortable."

"Doctor, it's too hot in here." She finally got the fabric up, but it got caught on her head.

Groaning, the Doctor gave in and pulled the blue tee over her head. His eyes darted everywhere but at the delicate lace bra she was wearing. Then he noticed she was trying to undo the button on her trousers. Damn.

"Shoes first." He pulled her trainers and socks off and helped her out of the capris. Once her clothes were off, Rose flopped backwards onto the bed and covered her eyes with her arms.

The Doctor looked at her a moment, skin flushed, a light sheen of sweat covering her body. Even under these conditions she was beautiful. And he needed to get control of his emotions. _Just think of it as a bathing costume. And that's not helping because now I'm thinking of a wet Rose in a bikini._ Draping his suit coat over a low table and tugging his tie off, he moved to sit next to Rose. Remembering how she felt about shoes on the bed, he toed off his Chucks before settling in and arranging Rose so that she leaned against his chest.

She murmured while he ran the damp cloth over her face and chest. Setting it aside, the Doctor combed his fingers through her hair, concentrating on the base of her skull.

"Where does it hurt the most?"

"Behind my left eye. Feels like little creatures are hitting it with an ice pick."

His hand drifted over her forehead, pressing lighting, rubbing the bridge of her nose before moving to her left temple.

"Your hands feel nice. Cool." She tipped her face into his palm more. The Doctor debated with himself for all of two minutes before moving Rose to the side.

"Here, lie down for just a minute, okay?"

Before he could change his mind, he stripped off his oxford and tee shirt and crawled back next to Rose, draping her across his cooler chest. She gave a soft sight and pressed as much of herself as she could against his skin. He moved his fingers to her temples and rubbed softly, drifting into her mind and tweaking the pain receptors, helping to ease her nausea. He'd had headaches from psychic assaults before and he couldn't imagine how a human was able to cope with one.

Bazine would have some questions to answer later and this time the Doctor wasn't going to let the old man side step giving him answers.


	6. Chapter 6

Rose woke with a vague other worldly feeling in her head and a dry mouth. She opened her eyes slowly, half expecting pain to sear through her head again. Instead she was pleasantly surprised to find her head stayed more or less pain free and the only light in the room came from the other side of the curtain separating the bed from the rest of the living area. She blushed as she remembered practically begging the Doctor to help her strip down to her bra and knickers.

Said alien must have heard her rustling and peeped around the curtain, a glass in hand.

"How are you feeling?"

Tugging the sheet up a bit higher, Rose shrugged. "Okay, I think. Sort of fuzzy but that's not all that weird after a migraine. And really thirsty."

The Doctor handed her the cup. "It's a type of fruit juice. The sugar will help your head."

She sipped the juice slowly and waved the Doctor to sit down. "What was that, Doctor? One minute we were just sitting there and the next it felt like something was trying to rip my head apart."

He frowned, taking a moment to really look at her. She knew what she probably looked like, still pale with dark circles under her eyes, but it wasn't really that different from one of her regular migraines. True, the Doctor hadn't witnessed that many of them, but they weren't that big a deal.

"That was a psychic attack, Rose. A strong one."

"Why didn't you feel it?"

"Because I was careless and I'm sorry for that, Rose. I could feel the telepathic signal when I wasn't really shielding, but now that I am, I'm not picking it up at all. When it started during dinner, it started out dim, you were in too much pain to notice but there were several other Ak'karrians who went still at the same time you complained of pain."

"But it didn't hurt them?"

He grabbed her free hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "That was my fault. The…frequency…I guess you could say, of the telepathic signal is geared towards more low level telepaths and a wavelength closer to a human mind, not Time Lord. When it couldn't penetrate your mind, it pushed. Hard. And your mind instinctively tried to push back but I hadn't taken the time to teach you how."

Rose gripped his hand. "Doctor, 'snot your fault. You said we didn't have a lot of time and I haven't felt anything in my head except you since we got here, so obviously the shield is working. Now we know more than we did, yeah?"

"Yeah." He looked down at the bed. "I yelled at Bazine."

"What! Why?" Rose pulled her hand free to tug at the Time Lord's messy hair. He let out a yip before shifting more towards the end of the bed.

"Mind the hair! You should have seen him, Rose! He just sat there while you were screaming. While people dropped plates and glasses and stared off into space."

"He was probably in shock!"

The Doctor shook his head. "No. I asked him to come here after dinner was cleaned up. You were finally resting comfortably and I wasn't worried about waking you. I needed to give you a bit of a suggestion so you would sleep without pain, so you were really out for a few hours. He knew, Rose. And he lied to us."

"What did he lie about?"

Springing to his feet, the Doctor moved to pace the small, curtained off area. Rose propped some pillows against the wall behind her and leaned back. She wasn't quite ready to deal with the Doctor in constant motion.

"I asked him about anything strange happening here. Anything that could give us an indication about when this thing landed. He told us the only odd occurrence was a storm. A storm one month ago, Rose. This has been happening every month for over a year! How many people have disappeared to the Temple in a year?"

Rose thought back to what the girl at the women's commune and what she said about her brother. He had acted strangely for a month before he disappeared. And she didn't mention it to the Doctor.

"Oh, Doctor. The girl I mentioned, Araya. Her brother that disappeared? He acted weird for a month before he took off at night. And I didn't tell you. We didn't talk about it all that long before I lay down. Maybe if I would have mentioned it earlier we would have been ready for this."

"You did tell me he disappeared at night, Rose. We only had the one story to go on; no one else would talk to us. It wasn't enough to go on, to build up any sort of plan. As for forgetting to tell me about how long his symptoms lasted? It was a simple over sight, easy to make. And it helps to confirm a bit of a theory I've been rattling around in my head."

"Gonna share with the rest of the class?"

"I think I'll make you work for it, Rose Tyler. Tell me what we know."

Leaning back more fully against the wall of pillows and draining the sweet, cool juice, Rose closed her eyes. She liked this game. It made her feel like she was helping the Doctor work things out even though he was a million times smarter than she was.

"Okay, we do know that it happens at night. That blue sun was all the way up in the sky, I remember looking at it. It doesn't affect your superior Time Lord brain, only us lowly humany types. And I don't think people go wandering off right away or else you wouldn't be sitting here with me." She tilted her head at him. "How'm I doin'?"

"Got them all up until that last bit. I would still be here with you, Rose, even if some of the Ak'karrians wandered off. And they might still. Your health is more important to me and don't interrupt me, Rose."

She closed her mouth and watched the agitated Time Lord.

"A psychic attack like that is often deadly. You were thinking it felt like a freight train ripping through your head and you weren't far off from the truth. Whatever is out there was determined to tear its way through your mental barriers without taking into account it would rip your psyche apart as well. If you survived, you could have been in a vegetative state. I needed to make sure you were alright."

"But I'm fine, really, Doctor. Just a bit hung-over feeling. Sad, really, since I didn't have more than two glasses of that wine with dinner."

Now, he smiled at her. "And that shows me just how amazing you are, Rose Tyler. Coming out of that with nothing more than a migraine, horrible as that is. And still ready to work! Now, on to the mystery at hand. From what I could pry out of our host, not the sharing type him, the psychic call if you will, tends to center around the full moon. Or what most humanoid species take as being a full moon on planets that have only one."

"I know I'm gonna regret this, but what do you mean 'take as being a full moon'? You mean what we think is a full moon isn't really a full moon?"

"Nope." He replied popping the "p" as he settled into lecture mode. He forgot his pacing to settle back on the bed again.

"Take the Earth's moon, for example. It's really only full for a minute or less. It's difficult for humans to discern a moon that is 100% illuminated from one that is 99.9% illuminated or even 98% illuminated with just the naked eye. So, from good old terra firma, the moon looks full for roughly three days."

"So this thing is gonna try to rip through my head for two more days?" She tried to keep the worry out of her voice but the thought of going through that kind of pain again was not something she looked forward to.

"No, now that I know what's happened I can keep it from happening again. But tomorrow night the other villagers should react again. And this was the second night of the full moon, so tomorrow is the last night."

"So then they should leave tomorrow if they are gonna disappear?"

"I think so, providing no one tries to stop them."

"Why haven't they all left at once though?"

"That was something else I asked Bazine. No children have gone missing. Only adults. You're actually one of the younger people to have been affected. I think it might have to do with mental maturity. I'm not sure. I'm thinking about lowering my mental shields a bit tomorrow night to see what I can feel from this."

Rose grabbed his hand and tugged until he looked at her.

"And you don't think that's dangerous? You could sense this thing all the way in the TARDIS and now you want to let it in your head on purpose?"

"It might be the only way to see how it's calling to these people, Rose. I have no idea what could be doing this. Whatever it is, it's weak enough that it needs the gravitational pull of the moon to focus its psychic energy. It might not be corporeal any longer."

"So you'll just offer it up a tasty Time Lord body?"

He chuckled. "I'm not that easy to take over, Rose. Nine hundred years…"

"Oi, you've been lying about that, too! Maybe nine hundred years with the TARDIS but you're lots older than that. You can't even keep track anymore." She tilted her head and he felt the whisper of her in the back of his mind. Not intruding, just…humming. Picking up random bits that he just didn't think to hide away. Which apparently was quite a bit.

"You honestly don't know your own age, do you?"

"No, no I really don't. Lost track a long time ago. No one left to really tell me anymore. One of the perils of jumping back and forth across millennia for so long and then jumping right back a day later." He cupped her cheek, thumb rubbing the dark patch just below her left eye. "You are very good at picking up random thoughts, Rose Tyler."

She flushed. "'M sorry. I don't do it on purpose. And I don't go lookin'. Sometimes things just drift into my head, mostly feelings and stuff, sometimes stuff like your age, maybe when you're thinkin' about it?"

"I'm not angry. And it's the bond. I'm not shielding those thoughts or feelings from it. Like when I'm talking to Bazine and I think he's lying, you'll feel that. Or if I'm excited or happy. I just don't feel the need to worry about hiding that from you. And apparently some of my past is just not worth the bother of blocking, either. The point being, I'm very old and while I can be careless, it takes quite a lot to take control of a Time Lord's mind for any period of time without a machine to aide it. And I don't believe that's the case here."

"Alright." But she made a mental note that she was following him with a rope tied to his wrist if need be if he wandered off in a trance.

The Doctor laughed outright when that thought popped into his head. Bouncing to his feet, he held out his hand for the empty glass.

"So, what do you feel like doing this evening?"

Rose looked down at herself and blushed again, realizing they'd had the entire conversation while she was in her skivvies and covered only with a light blanket. She felt grubby and sticky from sweating so much during her migraine and longed for a proper bath.

"Is there any way for a real bath? With water? Even if we have to go back to the TARDIS? I know it's a hike but I'm all gross feeling from earlier and - "

The Doctor held up his hand. "Say no more. It's not the TARDIS tub but I have something else in mind. Look in the basket by the bed, there should be some clothes for you that the Ak'karrian women left earlier. Grab some and meet me at the door. Don't worry about your stuff, I'll sonic it clean later."

With that, the Doctor bounced out to the other room. Rose could hear him shuffling things around and muttering to himself in his native language while she picked through the offerings in the basket. She settled on tugging a pale blue tunic style top over her head with a mandarin style collar and wide sleeves that ended at her elbows. The collar, edges of the sleeves, hem and deep vees at the sides were edged in darker blue embroidery. It hit her below the knees and she felt she was decent in it, but she'd seen everyone wear slacks of some kind so she pulled on the thin dark blue pair that looked to go with it. Before tugging on her trainers, she tossed a thin, sleeveless shift on the bed to sleep in. If they even got back in time to get any sleep that is. The Doctor had a bad habit of forgetting his companion needed to sleep in order to function.

"Roooose, are you ready yet?"

"Yep." The Doctor left his suit jacket and tie on the low table in the main room but he had a bundle of what looked like clothing and towels in his hands along with a brown paper wrapped package.

"What's that?"

"You'll see. Come on. Grab the sonic on the way will you? No spare hands. Now that would be useful wouldn't it? A spare hand? Come in handy?"

Rose groaned as she followed him out the door. They didn't need the sonic to see by; the blue sun cast a cool glow over everything. The village was quiet. No one clattered about; no lights were in the huts. It was peaceful. Rather than taking the turn to the bazaar, the Doctor led them across the village to the edge of the oasis where a path could just be seen. Rose flicked on the sonic and aimed the beam at the ground. The Doctor wouldn't really need the light to see by but she didn't want to end up falling over a vine or tripping on a rock. Or worse, stepping in something squishy that she couldn't see.

After a few minutes of walking, she heard water. The trees and ferns ahead gave way to a gorgeous natural pool. Large rocks ringed the edges and a few jutted up in the middle, along with ferns and wide leafed flowering plants. It smelled cool and fresh compared to the hot night air.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Really, at this point she didn't care. So long at it didn't eat her as soon as she got in, she was going in.

"It's safe. No real large predators on this planet." A rustling sound to their right caught his attention and he turned.

"Come here. Slowly, don't want to spook it."

Rose moved to the Doctor's side and he shifted his load so he could bring his arm around her, moving her in front of him. He pointed to a pale yellow flower near the ground that was the size of a dinner plate. On it was an enormous insect. Pale orange and white tufts of fur covered it from its antennae to its feet. Its wings were wider than the flower it was perched on, golden, orange, and black, fluttering lightly.

"Ohhhh. It's fuzzy!"

"I told you they were amazing."

She tilted her head back to smile up at him. "You like this one 'cause it's ginger."

"Yes, well that, too." He sidestepped her to move next to the pool. "Well, don't just stand there. Your bath waits."

"With you here?"

"You can just go in with your knickers and whatnot. No different than a swimming costume. I'm going in."

Rose's eyebrow popped up. "In your pants?"

"Yep. Dry in a flash with the sonic. Did have to bring some spare clothes with me. Have to clean my suit when we get back. Here." He tossed something from the package at her. "Use this. I brought two."

She sniffed the bar. "Is this banana soap?"

"Mmhhmm. Got it on that asteroid bazaar a few weeks back. Organic, all natural, won't hurt the flora or fauna with the bubbles."

Figuring the Doctor was distracted with his soap and not wanting to pass up the opportunity to swim, Rose stripped down to her bra and knickers and plunged into the pool. The water was delightfully cool against the hot, dry air and she left the soap on a rock to paddle around for a moment before washing. Floating on her back, she enjoyed the breeze and completely missed the splash of the Doctor jumping in the water. Paddling lazily and kicking her feet, she drifted deeper into the pool. Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle and pulled her under.

Gasping, Rose surfaced and immediately splashed out. Her target sputtered indignantly.

"Servers ya right. I got water up my nose!" She paddled back to the rock holding her soap and spying both bars, scooped them up and chucked the Doctor's at him. He caught it with one hand, grinning at her and rubbed it in his hair. Laughing, she smelled the fragrant bubbles and began lathering it in her own hair. It lathered thickly and left her hair feeling smooth and silky. Dunking, she quickly finished washing and then drifted up and down the rocky bank sniffing at the abundance of pale booming flowers. She felt the water ripple as the Doctor floated up behind her.

"They all smell so strong." She spied a few more of the giant furry moths in different colors apparently sipping at the flowers.

"These flowers only bloom at night. That's why the colors are so pale. And why the moths love them. They have really poor eyesight and the scent attracts them." His eyes lit up. "Ohhh, maybe the banana fragrance will attract them."

"I do not want a giant moth trying to lick my head, Doctor. Even if they are cute."

"Do you feel better?"

"Yeah. The water feels wonderful. Cool but not cold. And I'm happy just to have a proper wash. Are you ready to head back?"

He nodded. She couldn't help but catch a look at him as he lifted himself out of the water, trails of water trickling down his arms and back. He was deceptively thin, the muscles concealed under all his layers of clothing. Long, wiry muscles that moved easily as he shifted himself to the pile of clothing he'd brought with him. She averted her eyes when he turned towards her, aware that he might be feeling what she was even though she was desperately trying to block it. And she didn't want to be looking right at the front of him in wet pants. He held out a large piece of linen type material.

"Here, wrap up in this. I can dry everything with the sonic if you want."

"Nah, I can get dressed with out 'em. Just gonna slip on a nightgown type thing I found when we get back. These'll dry quick enough."

They both turned away from each other and for a few minutes the only sound was the rustling of clothing. When she turned back, Rose couldn't hold back a gasp of surprise.

"What?"

" 'S nothing, really. Just not used to seeing you in something other than your suit. It's rare." The Doctor was dressed in a creamy tan colored long sleeved tunic with a few buttons at the vee neck and loose cream colored slacks. He still had his white Converse on and the rest of his things must have been bundled in his towel.

"Good different or bad different?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.

"Just different," she replied with her tongue in her teeth as she laced their fingers together. He took her bundle from her so she could use the sonic to light the way out of the oasis. They were too busy bumping shoulders and giggling to each other to notice the shadow frowning and following behind them.


	7. Chapter 7

Morning came too quickly for Rose. She and the Doctor spent the quiet late night hours discussing the wedding details. Rose wasn't too surprised to find it had similarities to an Earth wedding. On most of the planets they'd explored, if the local population was humanoid enough to celebrate a wedding ceremony, they tended to use some "ancient" Earth customs such as flowers, an exchange of vows and an exchange of recognized symbols of marriage. Normally, the village elder would just officiate as a representative of the district while a member of the Temple's Blessed would perform the ceremony itself, but because of the disappearances and the time constraints, Bazine would be marrying them himself.

"Why would someone from the Temple come all the way to the village? I'm guessing there's a bunch of villages around, so wouldn't they have to travel really far for some?" Rose had asked, picking at some bread with a sort of date jam on it.

"Yep." The Doctor replied, plucking the bread out of her fingers and eating it. "Remember me saying the Blessed are born with a third eye in the middle of their forehead? They are highly telepathic. They're able to sense the true intentions of the bride and groom and ensure a good fit. If anything hokey…hmmm hokey… might have to try that word out a bit more. Hokey. Think I like it. Fits the teeth. Anyway, if anything hokey were going through either of their minds at the time, the Blessed would refuse the wedding."

"And that's okay, having their minds read like that?"

"The couple consents to it in order to be married."

Rose snorted. "'S a good thing that we're being married by Bazine then."

The Doctor's left brow raised. "And why's that?"

"If we were being married by mind readers, then we'd be kicked out."

"Nah, we'd be fine."

"You know something you're not tellin' me?"

"Highly telepathic, me."

"So not telepathic, me." Rose replied, chucking a blue star shaped fruit at his head.

" _Anyway_ , what I was working on in-between waiting for you to wake up and waiting for Bazine to get here so I could question him, was this planet's version of a wedding ring." He reached into his freshly soniced suit jacket pocket and produced two long leather strips with hammered silver medallions on one end and a series of holes poked in the other. It was a bit too long to be a bracelet but Rose couldn't think of what else it could be. She reached out to pick one up and frowned when it felt heavier than it appeared.

"The TARDIS made them. The alloy is similar to her coral, slightly psychic so it will have a link to us and unbreakable. It runs the whole length of the piece. The leather is actually synthetic. Waterproof, fade proof, cut proof, and pretty indestructible for the jeopardy friendly. Ak'karrians wear something similar wrapped on their right wrist. The metal piece is decorated with their name or the name of their house. When they marry, they exchange them, much like humans do rings, only the men wear the women's on their left wrist – they believe that side links directly to the heart – and the women wear their men's as a choker necklace, easily visible with the longer sleeves of the tunics and touching the throat chakra. If the marriage is based on pure intentions – open and thriving – then it will be blessed with wisdom and harmony. If it is full of lies and deceit, it will be closed – doomed to fail."

Rose examined the bracelet in her hands. It was beautifully made, but she didn't expect anything less from the TARDIS. On one side of the medallion was a gorgeous rose in full bloom, its petals carefully etched into the metal and almost three dimensional in detail. A tiny hook would thread through the holes on the other end to keep it in place. On the opposite side was the Doctor's Circular Gallifreyan. She recognized it as being her name or at least what the screens in the med bay always showed when she was in there. She reached out for the other one and the Doctor handed it over without comment. This one had the Gallifryan writing on both sides and from the little she knew of the mathematical script, one word was longer than the other.

"Did you do the engraving?"

"Yeah. Special setting on the sonic. Can carve a few layers down for a few days and then the alloy hardens too much to work with."

Rose traced the Doctor's bracelet with her finger. "This is your name, yeah?"

He nodded.

"So what's the longer one?"

"Also my name."

"Huh?"

He tugged on his ear and stared off out the window. "On Gallifrey, after we look into the Untempered Schism, when we find out who we really are, we are given a name. That name has power. Unimaginable power in some cases. The things my name means… There is only one person I would ever give my true name to and that's you Rose. If I was to speak it to you, it would put you in danger, but written like this," his fingers brushed the bracelet in her hands, "it's safe."

She didn't know what to say. True, this marriage wasn't real, and they'd been through fake weddings before, mostly completely by accident, but he was taking it all so seriously.

"Rose, I don't admit this often and I probably won't admit I even said it if you ask me again later, but I don't know what this thing is. Seeing…feeling, what it did to you scared me. If anything happens to me…" he grabbed her hands when she made to interrupt, to tell him nothing would happen to him, she wouldn't let it. "Just hear me out. If anything happens to me, the TARDIS will take care of you. She can take you back to Earth, to Sarah Jane, if you want. Probably not a great idea with being declared dead and all but if anyone can work that out you can. You could travel, if you wanted. But having this," nodding his head at the bracelet now tangled in both their hands. "Will mean something to just about any alien species you come across. Earth isn't so off the radar anymore. You'd be safer."

Clearing her throat, Rose sat up straight and looked the Doctor in the eye. "Doctor, I know you want me safe. And I also know that you've learned by now that sending me away is not the way to keep me that way. If something happens to one of us, it's because the other one is already gone. We'll figure this out, we always do."

She was rewarded with one of the Doctor's wide smiles. The ones that made his eyes crinkle at the corners and his tongue curl over his front teeth. He didn't smile that smile often enough and Rose made a mental note to try and get that smile out of him more often. It wasn't long after that Rose fell into an exhausted sleep.

Now, the twin daytime suns were almost at their midpoint before Rose could be convinced to exit the bed. And it took a hyper Time Lord babbling and bouncing around the whole hut to finally drive home the point that he wasn't going to let her sleep any longer.

"Roooose, you humans sleep one-third of your lives away as it is. It's almost noon local time. The women are going to want to take you to do…some sort of woman-y thing before the ceremony. Who knows how long it will be before I get to talk to you?"

" 'M up. It was almost sunrise when I went to bed, Doctor." Rose ran her fingers through the snarls in her hair, the bracelet on her right wrist catching the light.

"I have plans for today. Things to do."

Her eyebrow rose. "You are not trying to contact that thing before tonight are you?"

"Weeelll, I'd like to try. Just to see if it's sending out any sort of signal during the day. And I'd like you to try as well. With me, of course. And I want to go to the bazaar and look around. Never know what you might find. Always like a little shop, me."

Stretching her arms above her head and closing her eyes, Rose gave a satisfied groan when her shoulders popped. She missed the way the Doctor's eyes traveled along the thin nightdress and up to her fingers as she twisted. When she looked, he was blushing and rubbing his neck.

"What?"

"What, what?"

"Why're you blushing?"

"Time Lords don't blush. Are you getting dressed? Lots to do and you take forever."

"Hey, you take longer than I do with your hair!"

The Doctor whipped off the sheet with a wicked laugh and Rose flipped him off on the way to the loo.

"Rude, Rose Tyler. Shouldn't insult your soon to be husband. Again."

"How many times have we been married now?" Rose called out from the bathroom.

"Eleven."

Her head popped out around the doorframe. "Wait, we've been married eleven times?"

"Hmmm. Had a couple before I regenerated. Most were this body though. Are you ready yet?"

"Well, you've got the disgruntled husband thing down, that's for sure. Imagine if I was dressing up." She replied, entering the main room and struggling to pull her hair up. The Doctor huffed out and annoyed breath and moved behind her, swatting her hands out of the way. A few quick flicks of his long fingers had it twisted into two French braids.

"Done. Off we go." He grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the sunshine.

"Doctor, caffeine. Breakfast…er, lunch."

"We'll get something out. Come on."

Hopping a bit to keep up with him, Rose glanced around to see people moving things back to the center of the village where dinner had taken place the night before. "What's your hurry?"

"I wanted to get out of the village before…oh, hello Bazine. Tamar, was it?"

The old man and his grandson stopped them before they could reach the road. The boy was standing slightly behind his grandfather, arms crossed, and a cocky smile on his face.

"Doctor. Rose. Please come with me. A…disturbing accusation has come to my attention."

The Doctor and Rose exchanged glances but followed the two back to the Elder's house. Several other men and a few older women were gathered in the living area.

"Bazine, has something happened? Has there been another disappearance? If so, we understand your culture and don't want to offend you, but we should really be on our way if that's the case."

The old man shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that. There has been a question of your fitness to marry Miss Rose."

The Doctor sputtered. "My fitness! What? Who? I am perfectly fit to marry Rose." She grabbed his left hand, reminding him of their rings. "I'm already married to Rose. You can't just give my wife to someone else!"

"Not to mention I have no plans on giving up the Doctor. Just who is sayin' they want me?" Rose asked, looking straight at Bazine's grandson.

"Tamar has stated that you took your wife outside of the village last night. After she suffered an episode at dinner. That you dragged her into the oasis."

The women all gave Rose the same disapproving look. Crinkled brow, deep frowns, like her Mum would give her if she came in too late after a night out with the girls. Stepping forward, she faced the boy herself.

"And what exactly is your problem with what the Doctor and I do?"

The boy tried to stare her down, but he'd never been on the receiving end of a Tyler woman stare. Only thing more frightening was a Tyler slap. The Doctor hid a chuckle behind his hand. That would be a sight to see.

"Women should stay in the home. They shouldn't be out asking questions or exploring on their own. They shouldn't travel; it's too much stress on their delicate systems. Something your Doctor should know." The boy replied, his voice slow and patronizing.

"Delicate systems! What rot! That has to be the stupidest, most ridicul… Who do you think has your children! That ain't no walk in the park!"

The women gasped but Rose ignored them. "And the women you have here at the commune, they teach, they treat the sick, they work to support themselves. You call that delicate?"

Tamar's face flamed. "I saw you! And him! At the lagoon last night. It was, it was…"

The Doctor stepped forward. "You followed us. You watched us, watched Rose. How dare you!" Spinning to face the group of elders in the room, the Doctor glared, energy crackling in the air. It was the beginning of the Oncoming Storm and it was too small of a space to let it get out of hand. Rose placed her hand on his back, between his shoulder blades, and tried to ease his stress.

 _Doctor, take a breath. It's fine. We're fine. Let's just settle this and leave, yeah?_

She watched his shoulders hunch forward before he drew himself up. "This has all gone on long enough. If we have to be married before we can finish this, then do it now. You have witnesses. We have no problem with it. Then you can't complain how we find those missing villagers. Something you should be more worried about, I'd think."

Bazine let out a sigh. "I am doing what I feel is necessary to protect my village, Doctor. I would not expect you to understand my reasoning but I would ask that you respect it."

"I give respect when it's warranted. You have people disappearing. You have people who are going to disappear any time now and you know it. Yet you block us with laws and rules that you have the power to override. I won't have anyone else in danger. I won't have Rose in danger." The Doctor's eyes glittered with banked fire. He wasn't going to give so either Bazine did or he and Rose would leave and take their chances without the backing of the village.

"Fine. I hope you understand what you are doing, Doctor." He motioned the women and men to gather in a half circle around him. "I cannot disobey the laws of the land, to do so would cause chaos and unbalance. And you will need balance at the Temple. Remember, the Blessed can see into your mind's eye, Doctor. They will know what you hide."

"No one sees into my mind, Bazine." He looked down at Rose. "With only one exception."

"I ask that you face each other and join hands." Bazine closed his eyes and raised his hands above his head, palms up. The other witnesses did the same.

Rose could feel the Doctor's nerves now. She knew part of the anxiety rolling in her stomach belonged to her, but now, when they were actually faced with a marriage ceremony that was so intimate compared to the times it was done accidently, they were both scared. The Doctor squeezed her hands. When she looked up, he was giving her a small smile.

"The role already taken by the song your hearts share shall be now be strengthened by the vows you take. All things of the material world eventually return to the Earth unlike the bond and the connection your spirits share, which is destined to ascend to the heavens above." Bazine opened his eyes and gestured with his head to their joined hands.

"You exchange an outward symbol of the bond you enter into…" The Doctor nodded at her right wrist and Rose removed the wrap bracelet while the Doctor did the same to his. "So that others may see you are one." Watching the Doctor for instructions, Rose wrapped her bracelet around his left wrist. One finished, the Doctor let go of her hands to step closer and place his arms behind her head. He carefully placed his bracelet, now to be a choker necklace, around her throat and clasped it at the front before taking her hands again.

"Your physical selves will be bound as one as long as breath is in your body, while your souls will remain bound through lifetimes." Bazine placed his hands on top of their heads. "May you be forever as one in the passion and fire of your love for each other."

The Doctor let go of one of Rose's hand before turning back to Bazine. "We'll leave as soon as it's safe to go." With that, he pulled Rose from the Elder's hut. The boy, Tamar, was leaning against the wall outside with a frown on his face, but the Doctor ignored him. He didn't speak until they were back at their hut.

"Doctor, you alright?" Rose asked quietly. She watched as he paced and ran an agitated hand over his face. The back of her mind was buzzing like and angry insect.

"I just don't understand him, Rose. Here people are disappearing, yes, he knows where they go, but they are essentially cut off from the rest of the world and he is concerned with maintaining balance over chaos. Who does that?"

Rose sat. "Maybe it's just the one thing he could control? 'S hard not being able to control what happens around you."

"Maybe. Or maybe he knows exactly what we are going to find at that temple of theirs and is trying to stall us."

"Never stopped us before."

He finally looked at her. Really looked. She was fiddling with the choker at her throat and frowning. This was supposed to be easy, a relaxing trip to get back in the swing of things. Maybe an easy adventure. Now, he'd just heaped another pile of emotional baggage of top of his pink and yellow human when she was still reeling from the loss of her Mum.

"Rose…"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry!" She stood and faced him. "This isn't your fault. You didn't know where we were headed and you didn't know how these people would react. You try so hard to control everything, Doctor and then you suffer when you can't. If anything, the universe doesn't want to be controlled."

Heaving out a sigh, he nodded. "You're right. It's just…if I can see all the possibilities spinning around me, why can't I have the chance to change them?"

"You change what you can. Humans, any type of humans are stubborn. Not near as stubborn as Time Lords, but sometimes we just don't want help. Now," she decided the Doctor needed a distraction, "you said something about both of us trying to contact this thing."

"Right. I mean, not quite. We don't want to contact it, we want to see if it's sending out a more subtle signal during the day, sort of a subliminal message to those sensitive to it."

"Sorta like when you play an old record backwards and it says something totally different?"

His eyebrow quirked. "Where would you get a hold of old records, Rose Tyler."

"Me an' Shareen used to mess around with 'em. Try and see if they were brainwashing us."

"Okay." He drew out the word like he couldn't quite picture a young Rose Tyler sitting with an old record player. "Now, I'm going to go first and I won't hear any arguments. If it's signaling too strongly you could end up unconscious again. If it's feels safe, I'll walk you through lowering the barriers we put up and listening."

"Fine. But sit down, yeah. I don't want to have to catch you if you fall. You're heavier than you look."

Pouting, the Doctor dropped to one of the cushions and Rose took a seat across from him. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and focused inward. Keeping a tight hold of the shield he had in place around his tie to Rose, he allowed his mind to open. And…nothing.

"Doctor?"

"I can't sense anything. Nothing like what I felt on the TARDIS."

"Okay, then it's my turn. How do I do this?"

"I'm not sure how to describe it in words. It's a bit like lifting a veil over your mind. Here." Resting his cool fingers against her temples, the Doctor drifted into Rose's mind. He gently began lifting her mental shields a layer at a time, so she could feel what he was doing. It didn't take long before both of them sensed a pull, a sort of longing feeling, tugging at her consciousness.

"That it?" she asked, shivering.

"Yeah. It's tuned to humans, more or less. Explains why I can't feel it now. It's not strong enough. I'm willing to bet that I will after the sun goes down."

"It's sort of tugging. Like it's trying to lead me somewhere."

Pulling back, the Doctor grinned. "And if something is leading?"

Roe stood and reached for his hand. "Then we need to follow."

 _At the Temple, deep within the walls, a presence stirred. A mind unlike any other on this planet had just touched it. A mind with the capability to hold it deep within. A true merger. And it was coming._


	8. Chapter 8

"See, there they go."

Rose and the Doctor lounged at the edge of the village, at the start of the road leading to the mountains. It wasn't so much a road as it was a sandy patch through the desert, lined on either side with rocks.

As the blue sun rose in the night sky, the Ak'karrians the Doctor noticed reacting the previous night during dinner began to leave the village. Friends and family members gathered around them, desperately trying to persuade them to stay. They acted with single focus, paying no attention to what was going on around them, exiting in a neat single file line.

"Do you hear anything, Rose?"

Terrified to let this thing in her head, but confident that the Doctor had at least some idea what he was doing, Rose began to lower her mental shields the way the Doctor showed her earlier. She'd barely begun when she felt the pulling sensation in her head again.

"Yeah," she breathed out.

The Doctor clasped her hand and she could feel their connection, the fuzzy sensation that was becoming so comfortable in the back of her mind, strengthen.

"Let's go."

Hand in hand the two followed along behind the Ak'karrians out into the desert. They never spoke, nor did they stray from the road. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned every few meters, adjusting the settings and muttering. The closer they got to the Temple, the worse the pulling in her head got. She didn't dare tell the Doctor, but it was taking everything she had to keep it from overwhelming her completely. From the way he was acting, she had the feeling the Doctor could now sense this thing.

They were only a few kilometers from the Temple when it happened. The Ak'karrians vanished.

"What the hell?"

The Doctor dropped Rose's hand and ran forward, sonic raised.

"What happened? Where'd they go?"

Dropping to his knees, the Doctor looked at the readings. "Some sort of transmat." He began clearing away the sand. "Not sure how it works."

Kneeling down, Rose helped shift the sand until they reached a long metal bar.

"That it?"

"Mmmmm. Standard issue transmat. But what's the trigger?"

Rose hovered her hand over the bar, the buzzing in her head intensifying. "Do you think it has to do with whatever is in their heads?"

Looking up, the Doctor smiled. "Oh, Rose, you are brilliant. Maybe if I…:

"No, Doctor. It's not worth the risk. 'S not that far a walk. We can make it."

Letting out a breath, the Doctor moved to get up. "I suppose you're right. No point in…"

"Doctor? DOCTOR!"

The Doctor found himself in an open cavern lit with braziers and lanterns. The villagers he and Rose had been trailing were just ahead of him, circling a wide chunk of crystal that rose up to the ceiling.

 _Rose._

A quick check confirmed he could still feel their connection. She was worried and confused but he didn't dare connect fully with her, not here, not if she still remained outside the influence of what he now suspected was happening. He wrapped his mind more tightly around the glimmer of Rose's and looked around. He must have triggered the transmat without intending to.

He was clearly in the Temple, alters containing fruits and grains stood against the walls alongside large urns of fermented wines. Statues of polished native stone similar to Earth's soapstone stood in the corners. Those the Ak'karrians called Blessed, their third eye lined heavily with gold, fluttered around the central crystal as it pulsed, laying hands on it and waiting for the outcroppings to loosen before pulling them away.

 _Time Lord._

The Doctor started. Even with his formidable mental shields in place, the sultry voice whispered warmly through his mind. He clamped down more firmly on his connection with Rose, hiding it away in the back of his mind, beyond the darkness that lay dormant.

 _I have heard you, Time Lord. I knew your kind could not resist._

He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, he answered mentally, as he was expected.

 _Ah, yes, can't resist a riddle me. You're Illuminarei, right? You're very far from home._

 _There was a war. Such a war. The planet that sustained us was destroyed. So we searched for another. But we grew weary of searching. We were lonely. Incomplete. So we came here._

The Doctor cocked a brow. _But this planet isn't telepathic. Not to the scale that you'd need to be symbiotic. You'd take over the minds and bodies of these people._

The Illuminarei's laugh breathed through the Doctor. _Yes. At first it was …difficult. But then, we had form, bodies with which to move. Hands to build. So much is wasted here. Technology that is abandoned or underutilized. This planet could be so much further along, Time Lord, but it is still in its infancy!_

 _And who are you to say when the planet develops? You are messing with Time! Whole universes could collapse because of what you are doing!_

 _Always so pompous, Time Lord. Do you know we Illuminarei once approached the Time Lords for a merger of our minds?_

 _Oh ho, I'm sure that went over well with Rassilon._

 _He told us that Time Lords needed no improvements. That they were superior in every way to a noncorporial species. But think on it Time Lord. This would be a true merger of the species, two minds in one body, both equal._

Shifting back on his heels again, the Doctor shook his head. _No,ta. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the Time Lords are gone. I'm it, the last. And I have no intention on letting you in. In fact, I'm not too keen on having you take over these people's minds. What happens to the mind of the person you've taken over? Do you just push them out? Kill them?_

 _No, we are not murderers. We store their mind in the crystal, as we have been stored while we travel._

 _So you leave them screaming for the rest of their lives in the dark?_

 _Such small minds will forget they were anything else after a time. Think of it, Time Lord. How powerful we would be. You would no longer be alone; you would have all of my children to lead. A new people to lead in to the future._

 _Again, no. And I think it's time that you leave these people alone. I can help you. I have a ship. Take you somewhere else, a planet where you can be truly merged with the minds there._

 _I believe you are mistaken in thinking I was giving you a choice, Time Lord. I have been waiting for a mind such as yours and if force is necessary, then so be it._

The Doctor dropped to his knees, pain searing through his head as his shields were ripped to shreds by the combined force of the Illuminarei. He had a moment to think of Rose before his mind submitted to the invasion.

"Doctor? DOCTOR!" Rose frantically scanned the horizon for any sign of her Time Lord but he'd vanished. She rushed forward and slapped her hand on the metal bar buried in the sand, hissing as it burned her flesh.

"Stupid, bloody alien getting himself shipped off to who knows where with no one to help him." She cradled her palm against her chest, the skin already blistering, but there was nothing to be done for it. The Doctor had everything they needed in his pockets, including their water.

Glancing east, Rose wished she had the Doctor's time sense. The sky showed no signs of lightening, but days and nights were shorter here, 18 instead of the 24 hours she was used to. Still, it would take her several hours to walk to the Temple and it was hot without the sun, once it came up she was sure to burn and dehydrate. Still, there was nothing for it, walking looked like the only way to go.

As she trudged along, she thought on all that had happened in the past year. The Doctor regenerating into this new, sort of fit, sort of brown, bloke. Her slowly recovering memories of the Game Station and Bad Wolf. She remembered the overwhelming urge to get back to the Doctor, the need to save him at any cost, the constant presence of a song in her mind. She still heard the song late at night, in bed on the TARDIS when she couldn't sleep at night.

She loved her first Doctor but this Doctor…oh, she _wanted_ this Doctor. He was just so tactile with his constant hand holding, hugs and cuddling on the couch. A girl could only take so much of it before it got to be too much. She still missed her big eared, leather wearing doctor but she caught glimpses of him in the brown eyes of her Doctor. The anger was more intense, harder to dissipate once it was brought to the surface, in this body.

She thought of her Mum, trapped in the parallel world. Oh, she missed her Mum. To never be able to just ring her and chat, to gossip about what had been happening on the Estate or to tease her about the bloke she was seeing. Rose knew she would be happy with Pete, she'd seen the way the two of them looked at each other but she still regretted not being able to say a proper goodbye. And Mickey, she had Mickey just like she did when Rose took off with the Doctor here.

The Doctor had become…well, not exactly more open though that was happening a bit too, but more comfortable with Rose over the last few weeks. Relaxing into an easy going acceptance of plans to stay with him as long as she was able.

She'd lost track of time while ruminating and looked up. The Temple loomed tall just ahead of her and the twin suns were already up in the sky. Now that she was paying attention, she realized she was parched. Picking up her pace, Rose rushed to the golden doors. Two tall, male Ak'karrains dressed in purple stood guard with long staffs, a third eye decorated in gold, the designed trailing downward to swirl around their cheeks.

"Hold. What business do you have at the Temple of the Prime?"

"I'm looking for my friend. He would have arrived here a few hours ago."

"All here are here of their own free will and are chosen by the Prime. They are no longer your concern. You may go."

"You don't understand. We aren't from here. We're travelling. He's…he's my husband. I need to find him. His name is the Doctor."

"All here are here of their own free will and are chos - "

Rose just barely stopped herself from stomping her foot. "Yeah, I get it. Can you get a message to 'im. Tell 'im Rose is here? He'll want to see me. I'll wait."

The guard opened his mouth to speak again then stopped. His eyes took on a vacant look for a moment before he bowed to her.

"Enter."

Rose glanced at him as she passed. "Yeah, um, thanks."

The entryway was narrow but well lit, braziers of some sort of oil providing both light and scent. There was no one to greet her, so Rose just followed the hallway until it opened into a large antechamber. Plush pillows and tapestries lined the room and the cool air felt wonderful. A noise in the corner caused her to spin.

"Doctor!"

She rushed forward but her smile dropped and she stopped short. There was no welcoming buzz in her mind and she made sure to strengthen her mental shields. This man was standing far too stiff, arms straight at his side as if unsure what to do with them.

"Doctor, what's wrong?"

He tilted his head to the side and stepped into the light. Rose gasped when she saw his eyes. Those eyes that were so ancient and held the weight of all of Time were ordinary. Still alien, but not the eyes of a Time Lord.

"Doctor? Is that the Time Lord's name? I was wondering. He is hiding so much from me. Including you. I can see glimpses of you, his Rose, but little else."

"Who are you and what have you done with the Doctor?"

"I am of the Illuminarei and I have joined with the Time Lord. With him we will rebuild this world.


	9. Chapter 9

Rose staggered back, nearly tumbling into a brazier in her haste. The Doctor had been so angry, so violated when Cassandra had taken over his mind just over six months ago and now this thing was inside him, using his body, his voice. The Doctor had to be in there somewhere though; she could still feel him, faintly, humming in the back of her mind, a comforting presence.

The not quite Doctor tilted his head, the motion so like him Rose's heart hurt.

"You knew I was not the Doctor. How?"

Swallowing nervously, she faced the not Doctor. "You don't move right. You look like the Doctor and sound like 'im but you don't move like he does. Sort a gives it away."

"You are human, fully so, unlike the inhabitants of this planet."

"Yep," she replied, popping the "p". "From good old planet Earth, I am."

The not Doctor stepped further into the room, examining her from head to toe. If it was her Time Lord doing the looking she would be beet red, asking him if he saw anything worth looking at. This appraisal was clinical, like the entity inside was sizing her up.

"The Time Lord tries to hide you from me but memories of you practically saturate his mind." He nodded at her, "you are his mate but not a Time Lord, surprising considering their arrogant attitudes, yet you travel with him." He closed his eyes but shook his head. "I get little else. Your Doctor is resisting sharing his mind with me. Why is that do you think?"

"I dunno, I'm just a human. But if I had to guess, it's because the Doctor doesn't like things messin' with his mind. Can't say I blame him, really."

Grasping her chin a bit harder than necessary, the not Doctor turned her head side to side. "You are human but something more as well. Perhaps that is why the Time Lord travels with you, to study you."

"Oi! I'm not some bug to study under a microscope!" Rose cried wrenching her head away.

"Aren't you? The Time Lords are notorious for traveling the universe collecting what they considered lesser species to study. Has he not shown you his laboratory? I've heard stories of how impressive they were from those lucky enough to be released alive."

Rose swallowed. The Doctor never spoke much about the other Time Lords. He say they'd been a stuffy lot, more interested in science and themselves than the opportunities that time travel would allow them. He'd told her a bit about getting exiled to Earth more than once and then getting into trouble because he spent too much time with humans but not much else. He didn't like to talk about them.

"He hasn't, has he? You know, Time Lords collected species from all over the universe and placed them together in arenas to see how long they would survive? The winning species would then be dissected to see what made them superior."

Rose pulled away from him, unable to listen to any more. "Enough! There are no more Time Lords, the Doctor, he's the last. And he's nothing like they were. Nothing. They hated him. Used him." She was panting by the time she finished her rant.

The not Doctor only looked at her. "He said he was the last as well. And you have confirmed it. How have all the Time Lords perished? So much has changed for us since we have been traveling. There is so much to adapt to now." He turned to leave the room.

"Come with me. Your human body is dehydrated. I have more questions to ask you and from the little I can receive from the Time Lord, he will be most displeased if you come to harm."

She really didn't want to follow this imposter anywhere, but she was practically dying of thirst and her head was beginning to pound. A little bubbly feeling came up in the back of her mind, like the Doctor was prodding her along. _All right, but if I end up unconscious and tied to an alter again you are so not going to forget it, mister._

She didn't know if the Doctor heard her little snark or not, but she did move further into the Temple, taking in the sights as they went. She needed to know the paths in case they needed to make a quick getaway once she had the Doctor back. Chambers lined the narrow hallway and they were all filled with people. Pausing in one of the open doorways, Rose watched as one of the three eyed Ak'karrian's held a large, glowing crystal to the head of another Ak'karrian.

"Hurry up."

"Still bossy," she muttered. They exited into a large chamber filled with food and large urns she knew from the banquet held wine or water. The center of the room was filled with a floor to ceiling crystal that pulsed in the torchlight. A heavy feeling filled her head, but she brushed it off, focusing instead on the man in front of her.

His movements were becoming more fluid but he still tended to give things a wider space than strictly necessary. Taking a goblet from the table, he mixed a small amount of wine with water brought it over.

"Drink this."

Hesitating, Rose sniffed at it. It looked fine, smelled fine, and she didn't think this thing had enough control over the Doctor's body to use his superior reflexes to have snuck something in there, but…

"It's fine. As I said, this Time Lord would be most unhappy if harm came to you. I am unsure of how strong his mind truly is and have yet to explore it fully."

Rose sipped the drink gratefully. "So, in other words, you don't know if the Doctor will turn around and kick you out of his mind?"

He chuckled. "I would have nowhere to go. I would cease to exist. Your Doctor would not do that. He offered us a trip to a new planet, one with a species that we would be able to have a true symbiotic relationship with."

"And you refused?"

"I find that my people enjoy having bodies. Having complete autonomy is new to us. We have always coexisted, our minds merging with another to provide companionship and knowledge. We absorb the cultures of the species we merge with and in turn, share our histories. Centuries of knowledge exchanges in only moments." He picked up a paring knife and glanced at it curiously for a moment before running the blade over the Doctor's forearm.

"What are you doing? Stop it!" Rose cried, dropping her glass and rushing forward, grabbing linen from the table and dunking it in the nearest pitcher. Water or wine, she didn't care, either would work.

"Are you insane? Why would you do that?" she hissed, wrapping the damp linen around the deep wound. She knew the Doctor's 'superior physiology' would heal it quickly but that didn't mean she needed to see this thing cutting chunks off him.

"I am merely testing the limits of the Time Lord's physiology. It is a process we went through at length when we first began merging with these humanoids. We are not used to being in control of the physical body and its limitations. We could not understand why the bodies began to sicken and die at first."

Rose looked up in horror. "You mean you killed people?"

The not Doctor's brow rose. "At first it was unintentional. As I said, we did not understand the physical body's limitations. We co-exist with a species and that species still has control over its physical self. Then we needed to understand the physical limitations so we did not push the bodies too far."

"So you tortured them. And what happens to the minds of those people if their bodies died? They have nowhere to go but in those crystal thingies you stuck them in, yeah? So they're trapped there for the rest of their lives."

The not Doctor waved his hand. "That is not my concern. Their minds are so small they will cease to remember having physical bodies. Take yours for example. As impressive as your mind is to me, you have forgotten the pain of the burn on your hand simply by being distracted by concern for your mate."

Grimacing, Rose unclenched her fist. It was true, she was so concerned about what was going on around her, she'd forgotten all about her hand. Most of the blisters had rubbed open and it was now bleeding. And, damn it, it _hurt_. Stupid for reminding her. She grabbed another linen and soaked it, sucking in a breath when the cool water hit her hand.

"That's not a bad thing. It can save a person's life sometimes," she muttered, tying off the cloth.

"Ah, adrenaline. Yes, a fascinating hormone. 'Fight or flight' I believe you humans refer to the reaction. This body contains something similar. I have yet to catalog the hormones it produces and the Time Lord is being most unhelpful. Perhaps you can be of some assistance there?"

"Not bloody likely."

"Then you can tell me why this is the last of the Time Lords?"

Though he had posed it as a question, Rose had the feeling it wasn't really one. He seemed to want to talk, but for how long? And the pounding in her head was starting to get worse and it was almost in time with the pulsing of the crystal in the center of the room. And that couldn't be a good thing. She needed to work out some sort of a plan. She could feel the Doctor in her mind, and he mentioned being able to reach out to him through their bond, so maybe she could reach out and help from his own mind?

"Rose?"

She didn't like hearing her name in this Illuminary-whatever's tone with the Doctor's voice.

"There was a war, a Time War. The Daleks were trying to destroy the universe and very nearly did. There was a way to stop them but it would destroy the Time Lords as well and the Doctor…the Doctor, he did it. It was the only way to save billions of billions of others."

"And this makes you sad? The Time Lords would not have accepted you among them."

Rose gaped. "Of course it makes me sad! The stress of it nearly killed the Doctor! All his people are gone. Gone! No one left. They may have been pompous gits but they were still a part of him. Death doesn't bother you?"

He shrugged. "We do not truly die, not unless we are forced from a body. We simply move from one host to another. What about you Rose Tyler? Do you fear death?"

"I've faced death a lot of times since travelin' with the Doctor. I don't fear it. What I do fear is being locked away in a crystal, screamin' for the rest of my life." She thought for a moment. "Do you reproduce? People wither and die ya know. What happens when you run out of bodies?"

"We do not reproduce. We are as we are. And I have made arrangements to supply hosts long into the future."

Before Rose could ask about what he meant, the not Doctor grabbed her arm. "Enough of this. Your mind is strong and I am curious if you would merge with one of us completely as the Doctor has. Then I wouldn't have to ask useless questions, I would know."

He began to drag her towards the crystal. The pulsing grew more intense as did the pressure in her mind. The faint buzz in the back of her mind intensified. If she was going to do anything it was going to have to be now. She had no idea if it was going to work or if she could even do it but she had to try. Spinning out of the not Doctor's grip, she grabbed his right hand and slapped his fingertips again her temple. Her left fingers came in contact with his while her other hand gripped his upper arm, holding him close. She knew he needed the contact with her temples to have the best mental connect and she didn't know if it worked both ways, but anything had to be better than nothing in her mind.

Rose opened her shields wide around the fuzzy glow that was the Doctor in her mind and dove in, following the sensations of concern, fear, awe, and (Rose didn't know why it surprised her so much) love until she found herself surrounded by walls that weren't of her making. It felt like she was shoved in a tiny dark box with just whispers of the outside world to keep her sane.

 _Rose. What are you doing?_

 _Doctor! Oh, my God, are you alright? What's going on?_

 _I'm fine, Rose. I was…well, ambushed I guess, when I got here. This was about as much protection as I could give myself to keep the Illuminarei from taking over my mind completely. I'm not sure if I could resist the temptation. There are some dark parts of me, Rose, that might not resist the chance to rebuild a whole planet in the image that I want._

 _I don't believe that for a minute Doctor. The darkness, yeah. I see that peek through, but I don't think that you would torture people and let them die just for progress._

 _You have more faith in me than I do. And now you've trapped yourself in my mind. What were you thinking?_

"' _M not trapped, 'M helping you get out. That Illuminarei said it'd die if it was forced outta your mind and you wouldn't do that. Well, if it means savin' you, then I would._

 _Rose, I'd never ask you to kill for me. And you won't have to. I can't hear any of the Illuminarei's thoughts, the wall works both ways, but you, my clever girl, got it talking. The Illuminarei will be forced back into the crystal. It should be stunned for a few moments giving us enough time to hide and come up with a plan to free the rest of the people._

 _But where? The way I came in was just open rooms and they were filled with, well, possessed people._

 _How about behind us?_

 _Dunno._

 _Well, that's where we'll go then. Now, I need you to listen to me. What you are doing is dangerous, Rose. You aren't a telepath and yet you've managed to fully immerse yourself in my mind. If the connection were to be severed right now, I don't know what would happen to you. I want you to concentrate on how my consciousness feels to you. Focus all of your energy outward into my mind the moment I count down from three. I'll be doing something similar and I hope the combined psychic energy will be enough to displace the Illuminarei. Are you ready?_

 _Yeah._

 _Rose, I need you to be sure._

 _I'm ready, Doctor, just do it._

 _Alright. 3…2…1…PUSH!_

Rose concentrated with all her strength on the warm golden glow that she associated with the Doctor and the TARRDIS and struggled to force it outward through the thick fog that seemed to infect his mind. Gradually, the vastness that she associated with the Doctor's consciousness took over and Rose felt herself spinning like she was on a carnival ride. When she became aware again she was in the Doctor's arms and he was giving her a cheeky grin, but she could see the worry in his dark eyes.

"Hello, there Rose Tyler."

"Hello, Doctor," she replied, just before she passed out.


	10. Chapter 10

Water was dripping down from somewhere. Rose wondered for a minute if she left the faucet on before everything flooded back. She sat up and the world spun darkly around her.

"Gah," she groaned.

"Hey, now, easy does it." The Doctor murmured, pulling her back to lay her head against his thigh. "We don't want a repeat of earlier." He placed a damp cloth he must have magically produced from somewhere on the back of her neck. It felt marvelous.

"What happened earlier?"

"You woke up a bit and ended up vomiting rather spectacularly in the corner over there."

Rose tapped her tongue against her teeth a few times. "That explains the rotten taste in my mouth. And why my head is pounding. I am getting sick of waking up like this. Feels like all I've done since we've gotten here is get knocked unconscious and waking up with migraines. Not high on my list of things to do."

She felt the Doctor rummage in his pocket a minute before he presented her with a red and white striped peppermint. He popped it in her mouth and helped her to sit up beside him against the wall before handing her a bottle of water. Now that the initial bout of dizziness had passed, Rose could see they were in a dark, narrow cavern lit by the blue glow of the sonic. It was little more than rocky outcroppings and damp walls and looked nothing like the rooms she'd seen earlier.

"How are you feeling?"

Sipping on the water, Rose closed her eyes a moment.

"Can't you tell?"

The Doctor tugged on his ear and glanced around. "I'm actually trying to not use our link."

"Why?"

Turning towards her, the Doctor's face was solemn, his eyes were hidden in shadow but Rose could see the faint lines branching out were more pronounced.

"Rose, what you did earlier was so incredibly dangerous. A human's neural connections aren't as developed as a telepaths; I could have burned out your synapses in seconds. Not only did you establish the connection on your own, you were able merge your telepathic barriers with my own and help to remove the Illuminarei from my mind."

"But, but weren't the shields in my mind the same ones as in yours? Isn' that what you did in the TARDIS before we got here?"

"Yes, but your mind is slowly working on creating its own shields, too. With the bond I created, we can't hide anything from each other, at least not without the other knowing something is being hidden, but it's still your mind, still separate from mine."

Grabbing his hand, Rose tried to turn and face him but the lack of something supporting her head was too much. Instead, the Doctor shifted her to his side and tucked her under his arm, resting his chin on her head. He kept their hands together but rather than link them, he placed them on his stomach and played with her fingers.

"Okay, so why are you afraid of usin' our link? Is it gonna hurt me?"

"Noooo, not as such. Rose, we had a very…rudimentary bond, just skimming the surface of what the connection could be utilized for. You've managed to deepen that connection significantly. Now, the connection can't be broken without significant problems for both of us."

"Problems like what?"

"Excruciating pain. The only step deeper is the marriage bond and that was done away with when Rassilon came into power and wanted a more scientific Gallifrey. A bond like that hasn't been done, out in the open at least, for centuries."

She tugged on his fingers. "Are you mad at me?"

He let out a deep sigh and gave into the urge that had been plaguing him since Rose had fallen unconscious; he allowed the bond to open fully. He allowed Rose to feel his relief at her finding him, his joy and concern with his rescue, and because he knew the Illuminarei had told her stories of the Time Lords, stories of his home that he'd never shared with her, he finally allowed his feelings for his precious girl to flow freely between them. Which is why he was terrified when the salty tang of tears hit his nose.

"Rose?" He tipped her chin up, his hearts seizing at the sight of tears staining her cheeks.

"Is that how you really feel? You're not lyin'?"

"Oh, my precious Rose, I told you, one thing about the bond is we can't lie to each other. We'll know it. So you know I've felt this way for so long. Please, please stop crying. You're already so dehydrated; you don't need to lose any more fluids."

She couldn't help but laugh. Leave it to the Doctor to have this big emotional revelation and then spit out something like that. Sipping her water, she snuggled into his side and felt him drop a kiss onto the top of her head.

"So, where are we?"

Relief flooded through her mind and Rose knew she made the right choice by choosing to change the subject. Her Time Lord wasn't ready to talk about his feelings just yet and a damp cave in the middle of an alien invasion on an alien planet was not the best place to try.

"Well, you told me there was no where to go the way you entered and I was teleported in, so I went the opposite way. Not much there, really. But I did find a big, shiny room full of crystals that I'm willing to bet is full of the consciousness of the Ak'karrians. You were unconscious so I didn't stop to look closely but I did manage to nick one. Grabbed it and ran until I found a fissure just wide enough for the two of us to squeeze through."

"Were we followed?"

"Yep," he popped the 'p' happily. "Turns out the sonic resonates stone just as well as concrete. Just a little shaking to stir things up and they dropped their torches. Our friends didn't do so well in the dark."

He pulled the crystal out of his pocket and held it where Rose could study it as well. Rather than the pulsing yellowish light of the large crystal in the main room, this one gave off a steady purple glow. While her head still pounded, it felt more like a regular headache, the pain no different now than when she'd woken up. This crystal wasn't producing the odd pulling, foggy sensation the other did.

"So the soul of a person is in here?" she whispered.

"Essentially, yes. Everything that makes that individual uniquely them is housed in here. They see nothing, hear nothing, and feel nothing outside of this crystal. For them, it's like a constant dream state."

"So the ones the Illuminarei killed in the beginning, those souls are lost?"

"Mmmmm. They have no bodies to go back to." He ran the sonic over the crystal a few times and squinted at the readout. "I think I have an idea about how we can free everyone."

Rose sighed. "And your plans always go so well." Brushing her hands off on her capri's, she smiled. "And that's what I love about 'em. Anything you can do to help with my head? Not that I'm complainin' mind you, but if I can go another month or two without one, I'll run naked through the TARDIS."

She swore she _felt_ the Time Lord blush.

He cleared his throat. "Ah, yes, well, umm, no need for that _,_ I don't think. I should be about to take care of you headache though. No problemo. Right as rain." He scrunched up his nose. "Remind me not to say either of those again, Rose."

Giggling, Rose shifted a bit so the Doctor could place his fingers on her temples. "Don't worry Doctor, I was only kidding. I don't think the TARDIS would like a naked little human running around."

"I don't know about that. She likes you more than she likes me. Now, hush."

The familiar tingle of the Doctor's mind bubbled against hers and she felt herself relax automatically. Suddenly, she was on a deserted beach, the waves lapping at her feet. The Doctor was a few feet away from her, hands in his pockets, sea breeze ruffling his gorgeous hair.

' _S beautiful._

 _This is what I had in mind for our first trip out. I'm sorry it turned out this way._

 _Doctor, don't. We'll get there. Next trip. We have time. We ended up where we were needed. I thought you were just fixing my headache?_

 _I wanted a bit of a look around first. Like I said, what you did was oh, so dangerous Rose._

 _And what is your conclusion, Doctor?_

 _You've developed some impressive shields, Rose Tyler, but I always knew you were impressive. I think part of the reason you're getting such intense headaches is that you are developing new neural connections at a remarkable rate. New connections aren't so unusual but the old connections that have essentially died off are being reactivated. Your brain is becoming bigger on the inside. Faster processing._

 _Am I okay?_

 _Everything looks fine, Rose, you just need to adapt. I'll want to look closer when we get back home, but for now, I'm just going to tweak a few pain receptors. A temporary fix, but good for now._

When she opened her eyes, the pain had backed off considerably and the room was no longer spinning.

"Better. Do you have another peppermint? Then you can tell me what we're gonna do."

"Are you sure you'll be okay without the sonic?"

They were creeping along the narrow cavern by feeling along the walls. Rose had no doubts the Doctor could see in the dark a lot better than she could but he was still being cautious. Apparently enough time had passed that the possessed Ak'karians had given up on them. Or they were waiting in the main room for the Doctor.

"I'll be fine. Once you get to the cavern with the crystals, setting 1121-a. That should provide me with enough of a distraction. Ah, here we are. Give me five minutes."

Rose looked through the narrow crack and saw the dimly glowing gems. She glanced up at the Doctor. Without thinking twice about it, she grabbed his jacket and hauled herself up and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"Try not to do anything monumentally stupid, yeah? I'll be in as soon as I can."


	11. Chapter 11

The walk back to the village lasted a little over an hour but was much easier than the trip away. The blue tinged night sky still held stars and while the air was humid, without the twin suns beating down, it was easier to bare. The Doctor hadn't let go of her hand (both of which had a treatment with the sonic and were re-wrapped before they left) since they started back and every so often he'd swing their hands or bump shoulders with her. Other than answering a few questions posed by the very confused villagers and the members of the Blessed who were joining them, he was quiet.

Rose was beyond exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Despite the Doctor's care, her hands had stiffened to the point of being claws and she had no doubt she was sunburned, too. She was glad they had managed to save so many but the lingering thoughts that people had been tortured and died left her feeling defeated. Logically, Rose knew there was nothing she or the Doctor could do, they released the consciousness trapped in the crystals, which would have been a horrifying eternity, but maybe, if there were more time, they could have found another way.

As the village came into view, people began queuing up, waving and crying. The group she and the Doctor were with broke in a run whooping and yelling. The two of them held back, just watching the reunions. Bazine and Tamar were embraced by a tall couple dressed in dark purple and the normally surly boy was in tears.

"We have to confront Bazine don't we, Doctor? He was letting the Illuminarei use the Temple and the villagers?"

The Doctor sighed. "Yes, he was. If the villagers, the Blessed especially, would have put up a fight earlier on, I think things would have turned out differently. As it is, Bazine was basically offering up people as vessels. I'm not sure if it would have lasted, either. I think at some point the Illuminarei would have taken over everyone."

He tugged her ahead and they tried to disappear into the crowd but a young girl leapt out and caught Rose up in a hug. A tall, thin young man just a few years older hung back just behind her. The Doctor recognized him as the boy Rose spoke with before they headed back.

"Araya!" Rose sobbed. She burst into tears and clung to the girl.

"You kept your promise. I knew you would."

Rose didn't know what to think. When she was first bringing the Ak'karrians to the antechamber, she worried that they were too late, that Javin had been killed early on when the Illuminarei didn't understand how to handle their new bodies. But then she asked anyone if they knew him and he'd stepped forward, his eyes the same as his sister, and she was so relieved. Now, everything was swirling around in her head all at once, she didn't know what to feel.

Suddenly, a cool hand gripped the back of her neck and her mind settled.

"Are you going to introduce me to your, friend?" the Doctor asked with a smile.

Wiping her eyes, Rose stepped back to lean against the Doctor, his cool body a comforting presence.

"Doctor, this is the girl from the women's commune I was telling you about, Araya. Araya, this is the Doctor."

Araya gave a small bow. "Rose's husband. She said that you would help us, that it was what the two of you did. You brought my brother back to us," she grabbed the young man's hand. He was a bit malnourished but nothing time and good food wouldn't fix. "I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't have to thank us; it really is what we do." A man called out to the girl and they both left with a wave.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, the Doctor dropped a kiss to the top of Rose's head. "Are you alright? Your mind was a jumble there for a moment."

"Yeah,'s just that we still lost so many people, Doctor and I couldn't help but think what would have happened if one of them was Javin. What would I have told his sister?"

"But we didn't and you'll drive yourself crazy thinking like that. Trust me, I know, you've talked me though that kind of guilt enough times."

Families were beginning to depart, women were leading some of the Blessed to the commune and the Doctor was about to suggest they find Bazine so they could finish here and leave when the man himself approached followed by his grandson and the couple in purple. The younger man in purple bowed to them.

"Doctor, my name is Tam, I am Bazine's son. This is my wife, Noll and I believe you know our son, Tamar. I need to apologize for my father's behavior."

The Doctor nodded his head at Tam and turned his dark eyes on Bazine. "Did your father tell you the deal he made with the Illuminarei? The one where he provides them with nice, comfortable hosts in exchange for keeping the majority of the people in the village?"

Tam turned to the old man. "He did not. He only spoke of the delays he caused you by adhering so strictly to our laws. He did have the discretion to make exceptions. But that is for another time. Father, is what he says true? Did you make some sort of concession with these creatures?"

The old man slumped a bit. "You must understand, son, I did what I felt was necessary to protect our people. These creatures of light whispered in our minds, called our people to them, called you and Noll to them, and I was powerless to stop them. When they sent a representative to the village, I made a deal. They could call only those who would listen but no more. They could not take off-worlders from the market; their call could go no further than the village. I did not want to call war upon us from others."

Tam ran his hand over his face as the Doctor spoke up. "Did it ever occur to you to fight back? To try and find out what these creatures were? What weaknesses they had? To close up the Temple and forbid people to go there?"

Bazine shrugged. "They were made of light. Who was to say they were not sent from the Prime himself?"

"Oh, father." Tam turned back to Rose and the Doctor. "I will deal with my father, Doctor; you can be assured of that. And I will be taking back my place as head of the village. But for now, you and your Rose must be exhausted."

"Yes, well, we should be heading back home." The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "We have to make a quick stop first and then we really should be going."

"Nonsense. We will provide you with relaxation in the spas and breakfast before you leave. Please. Rose, if you will follow Noll. Doctor, come with me. There are a few hours until daylight. You may rest at the spas. Tamar, please take your grandfather home."

"Rose, does that sound okay to you?"

She nodded. "Actually, anything that has the word spa in it sounds wonderful right now. Do you think we can go to a spa planet when we leave here? Can't really mess up one of those, right?"

He laughed. "Are you challenging me, Rose Tyler? Because I'm sure between the TARDIS and myself I can figure something out!"

"Oh, no, us girls stick together. If I ask for a spa, she'll give me a spa, just you wait and see!"

"Too true." He paused for a moment, staring down at her. Rose shifted a bit, fidgeting with the edges of her shirt. She was about to turn and go with Noll before the moment got too uncomfortable when the Doctor dipped his head and kissed her. It was just a soft press of his lips to hers but for them, it was a huge step.

"See you in a few hours."

After hours in the sun and then running through the Temple, the spa was heavenly. Rose drifted off to sleep while she was massaged with lightly scented oils after lingering in a steam bath. Her muscles were so limp; she doubted she could run if she wanted to. It was wonderful. She hoped the Doctor was enjoying his spa experience but if he was being anything like his normal self, he was asking about the history of the steam baths and telling the other men about the traditions of cleansing with oils.

The beautiful golden designs that all the Ak'karrians wore on their skin were carefully drawn on Rose's pale skin by Araya and Noll, the pigment not nearly as vibrant against her pale flesh but still pretty. She examined the vine-like patterns that swirled along her collarbones and extended along the back of her hands over her fingers. The women insisted on painting her hands before treating the burns again with salves. After the Doctor's treatment with the sonic, they were better, but it could only do so much, she really needed the med bay and a dermal regenerator. But the salves had cooled the inflamed skin and numbed it and the bandages they used felt strangely cool and wet.

The clothes laid out for her were gorgeous. Both the tunic style top and the loose trousers were dyed a dusky pink with a deep red thread used to embroider patterns along the edges. The top had a lace up style front and under it she was given a red camisole to wear. The fabric was unbelievably soft, apparently made of the silk from the giant moths the Doctor was obsessed with. Her trainers had seen far better days and she gladly switched them for sandals.

Following Araya, Noll, and the other women out into the common area, Rose squinted in the sunlight. Her mind buzzed pleasantly with the Doctor's happy thoughts. She didn't see him yet, nor any of the other men. The tables practically groaned under the weigh of all the food piled high on them. Rose's stomach growled and she wondered if it would be rude to snag something now.

"Rose!"

She turned to see the Doctor, Tam, and the rest of the men heading from the opposite direction. Smirking, she took in his freshly pressed pinstriped suit and ratty trainers. Her clothes had been cleaned as well, but the clothes that Noll brought her were too pretty to pass up, so she put her stuff in a bag.

Catching her up in a hug, the Doctor twirled Rose around.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. I slept a bit, but I have a feeling I'll sleep for a week once we get home."

Laughing, he dropped her near the long row of benches. "You sleep too much as it is!"

"What about you? Did you relax at all?"

"A bit. I - "

"I am not certain 'relaxed' is the term I would use. He sat through the steam baths but refused the offer of a massage and instead prowled the rooms, smelling the oils and heat stones and insisting on laundering and pressing his own garments." Tam interrupted.

Rose threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, please tell me he didn't lick anything!"

Tam looked confused. "Would he do such a thing?"

Rose only laughed harder while the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Finally he poked Rose in the ribs to get her to settle down.

"I did not taste anything! And I'll have you know that a Time Lord's sense of taste is highly evolved, as I keep telling you. Especially in this body. I can tell the chemical makeup of a great many things, Rose Tyler and don't you forget that!" He turned to Tam. "And I really wasn't being rude on purpose."

Swallowing the last of her laughter, Rose nodded, placing her hand on the Doctor's arm.

"While being rude doesn't bother him, the Doctor doesn't like to be touched by strangers all that much, unless, of course, he's the one starting it. And he's very particular about his suit. "

Breakfast was a leisurely affair, discussion leaned towards how the Temple would be rebuilt and what the Blessed would be doing in the meanwhile. Most decided they would spend their time traveling to the other villages, ensuring that the Illuminarei had not spread their influence any further, though the Doctor assured them they hadn't the telepathic strength to do so. Some would remain to tend to the mental state of the villagers who had been taken over. While they seemed fine now, though confused by the passage of time they couldn't remember, there was no telling if there would be lasting effects.

The Doctor felt the Blessed having low level telepathic abilities would shield them from any adverse after effects and their natural abilities to tap into the body's energy points would help with healing. Bazine would no longer have authority in the village. He would be retired and Tam would take over as the new Elder.

The Doctor has done remarkably well through all of this, adding bits of information here and there and eating more than Rose could imagine one person consuming but she could tell he was ready to leave. Truth be told, she was ready as well. Four days away from the TARDIS was more than enough and she was ready for her own tub and her own bed. Grabbing her bag with her clothes and waving goodbye, she and the Doctor made the trek back through the bazaar to the path back to the ship.

This early in the morning the bazaar was empty and the road was quiet save for the sounds of bird song and small animals in the oasis. The walk was relatively peaceful, with the Doctor pausing at a booth that had some preserved flowers peeking out from the canvas flap and liberating a few to weave into Rose's braids. She tried to scold him, but his smile left her feeling too happy.

"So, this bond. Are we gonna talk about it or are you gonna pretend that it doesn't exist until we need it again?" Rose asked, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. She hated to bring it up, but with the Doctor's history of avoidance, they could be in prison cells on opposite sides of a planet before they made any progress.

His dark eyes flickered over to her but he didn't pause in their walking. "I wouldn't pretend it never happened, Rose. I can't even explain what it feels like to have that place in my mind occupied by another being again, even with the superficial link we had at first. Now, the bond we have is much deeper and I can't give that up. You've given up so much for me and it's an amazing gift that I just don't deserve."

Rose squeezed his hand and tried to convey what she was feeling through their fledgling bond.

"Doctor, what you don't get it that I am gaining so much. Yes, I miss Mum and I know I cry and 'm probably gonna every so often. That's normal. But I know she's gonna be happy, too. And I have you! You know that I..." She paused and swallowed. "You know that I love you. I can't hide that now. You don't have to feel the same, Doctor, but it's such a relief not to hide it. And you deserve to have a hand to hold. Someone to help make those impossible decisions with. I may just be an ordinary human, Doctor, but I'm there for you. Better with two, yeah?"

He stopped them as they entered into the oasis. "You are far from ordinary, Rose. I…haven't done anything like this in a long, long time. My eighth self was a bit of a romantic, remind me to keep you as far away from him as possible, but while he…I cared for them, what I feel for you is on a whole different level. I was regenerated with these emotions, Rose; they're in my TNA – Time Lord DNA. I'd like to try though. I can't say that I won't make mistakes -"

Rose giggled. "I think it goes without saying that we both will, Doctor. Two different species here."

He hip bumped her playfully and pulled her along. "But I will try and be more open. And the species difference…my people didn't have romantic relationships, they had political alliances. I'm not used to being open with another person or sharing how I feel. I've been more open with you, more physical with you, than I have with another being in a very long time."

"Doctor, we can take this slow. As long as we talk, I'm good. I just needed to have some idea of what's going on, being in the dark, not knowing if you felt the same way about me as I did about you, that was the frustrating part."

"Oh, I do Rose, I do. It might just take me a while to say it. I've lost so much…"

"Hey, you don't have to explain it to me. Take your time."

The TARDIS came into view and they both exchanged grins.

"Race ya!"

"Oi, that's cheating!" the Doctor cried as Rose tugged his hand back and used the leverage to get a head start. Even with his longer legs, over the rougher terrain she had an advantage and made it to the doors first. Wrapping her arms around the worn wood, she hummed happily.

"I missed you, Old Girl."

"Should I leave you two alone?"

"Just shut it and open the door!"

The TARDIS gave a welcoming hum and flashed the lights on the consol in welcome. The Doctor wasted no time in sending them into the vortex and dragging Rose off to the infirmary to treat her hands and the sunburn she picked up. He wanted to drop the remained Illuminarei off on the planet he'd promised them but he insisted that it would only take a few minutes, they were a friendly people and he would leave it to them what they wanted to do. He insisted Rose settle in and rest.

When she opened her door she found the TARDIS had spent her time well. She'd moved Rose into the Doctor's room and turned her room into a sitting room. The bed was replaced with a daybed that held her duvet and a few of her favorite childhood stuffed animals. Her desk with her books was still there but a Chinese screen had been added as a changing screen and all her things had been put away.

The Doctor's room was paneled in dark wood, the wooden floors softened with beautifully decorated rugs. The walls held paintings of alien landscapes and intricate tapestries. The ceiling was a hologram of a sky, lightened now to reflect the daylight that they just left. The bed was the central piece of the room, odd for a man who rarely slept. It was huge, made of dark wood and draped in deep blue and crimson sheets. It was also oddly clean which Rose thought was more the TARDIS's doing than the Doctor's.

Rose meandered into the bathroom and gasped. A little bigger than hers was an understatement. There was a huge walk in shower with multiple jets, a sunken tub and an enormous double mirrored vanity.

"He's been holding out on me." Rose murmured. And proceeded to make good use of her new amenities.

 _One week later_

"Rose."

Rose looked up from her novel.

"I have a surprise for you. I need you to come to the consol room."

When she entered the lights were dimmed and there was a sort of projector type device set up.

"What's that?"

He ran a hand through his hair. She caught a glimpse of the marriage bracelet from Ak'kara on his wrist. Once they got settled, he'd taken off the outer leather-like wrap on both of them and left the silver chain visible. Neither of them bothered to take them or the rings off.

"Right now there is a star outside that's dying. We're in orbit around it. For the past few weeks I've had the TARDIS searching for any cracks between universes, trying to find one stable enough to get a message through. She found one. That star is giving us enough power to send a message to Jackie."

Tears started to drip silently down Rose's cheeks. "You did this for me?"

He brushed a tear from her cheek. "You'll find there's very little I won't do for you. Ready?"

She nodded.

He closed his eyes for a moment and then pressed a button on the sonic. Suddenly the consol room disappeared and Rose found herself on a beach under overcast skies, her Mum a few feet away, Pete and Mickey in the distance next to a jeep.

"Rose!"

"Mum!"

"Where are you, love? You look like a ghost!"

"Oh, I'm still on the TARDIS. Doctor?"

"Hang on a mo'. That better?"

Jackie nodded. "Yeah. Himself there? Where is he?"

The Doctor stepped into few, grasping Rose's hand. "Hello Jackie."

She moved forward to hug Rose.

"I'm so sorry, Jackie, we're just an image. No touch. We're orbiting a supernova to get the power to send this through. Right now we're burning up a sun so that Rose here can say good-bye."

"So you can't come through properly, then."

He shook his head. "No, two universes would collapse."

"Well that sounds like something you'd do!"

"Oh, Mum, I miss you!"

"Honey, I miss you, too. And what I said to you that day? That one day you wouldn't be Rose Tyler anymore? Forget that. I was wrong. I am so proud…is that a wedding ring!" The last words came out as a screech.

"Two minutes left, Jackie."

"Don't two minutes me, mister. Did you just marry my daughter?"

"Mum, we aren't married, not exactly. Or not on Earth anyway. We are together, though and happy. Very, very happy. What about you and Pete?"

Jackie got a dreamy expression on her face. "Married. I'm three months gone."

Rose squealed. "Pregnant?"

"Yep. There's going to be another Tyler soon. And Mickey and his Gran are living with us."

"I hate to do this, but we're almost out of time."

"You'd better take care of her or so help me I'll find a way to slap you."

"I will. I promise."

"Mum, I love you."

"Rose, I love you. Take ca…"

The beach faded and they were back in the consol room. Tears fell uncontrolled and Rose buried her face in the Doctor's shirt while he rubbed her back.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Doctor."

Kissing the top of her head, he whispered "I only wish I could have done more, Rose."

"What?"

Rose's head shot up, rapping against the Doctor's chin.

"What?" she sniffed.

"It wasn't me."

"What?"

Looking across the room, they both spied a very angry red head in a wedding dress.

"WHAT?"

 _Tbc?_


End file.
